Eye doctor warns against watching eclipse without certified glasses

People should not look directly at Wednesday evening’s solar eclipse without eclipse glasses, DR reports. The Moon will cover up to 88 percent of the Sun, but its remaining light can still cause permanent damage to the eyes.

Rune Salling Holmbjørn, chief physician at the Department of Eye Diseases at Rigshospitalet Glostrup, said the retina can be burned within seconds even when the Sun is partly covered.

Eye damage caused by a solar eclipse will normally result in a blind spot in the centre of the field of vision. This can cause blurred vision and, in the worst cases, complete blindness. The damage may last anywhere from a few weeks to the rest of a person’s life.

“A solar eclipse lasts only a few seconds, but you have to live with your eye injury for the rest of your life,” Holmbjørn said.

Ordinary sunglasses are not enough

During an eclipse, people may be able to look directly at the Sun for several minutes without feeling immediate discomfort. However, a burned retina may not be noticeable for several hours or even days.

Ordinary sunglasses are designed to make bright sunlight more comfortable, but they are not strong enough for looking directly at the Sun. Homemade solutions should also not be used.

Holmbjørn recommends using only eclipse glasses that carry the CE mark and have the ISO number 1231-2. Glasses from an earlier eclipse should also be replaced because their filters lose the ability to block light over time.