Do you know a total solar eclipse is coming to the US soon? This doesn’t occur too often, and you might want to check it out. It happens in August of 2017, and many people will be attending special parties and eclipse events. Also, looking at a solar eclipse can be very dangerous and may damage your vision. In some cases, it can cause blindness. In fact, it’s best to use specially designed glasses for solar eclipse viewing.
Ultraviolet Light and Your Eyes
When you stay out in the sun too long, ultraviolet rays will burn the skin. If you stare at the sun very long, you will start to get a sunburn on the lenses of your eyes. In fact, the outer eye layer called the cornea can blister just like skin burned by the sun. This may cause a sensation of having sand in your eyes and can be very uncomfortable. It sometimes occurs when people get too much UV light from snow exposure or being in the water for a long time.
Short term exposure causes this sunburn effect, but what happens if you stare at the sun for longer periods? This affects the back lining of the eyes (known as the retina). This damage is called solar retinopathy, and it can be quite serious. Plus, it is not usually a painful condition. If the damage is not too significant, the retina may heal itself, but it can take a year or longer. In some cases, the damage is irreversible.
UV damage can affect the macula part of the retina. This is what lets you see things straight in front of you. Also, too much UV exposure can result in cataracts and unusual tissue growth in the eyes.
Dangers of Solar Eclipse Viewing
Staring into the sun during the day is very dangerous. However, you must be very careful about viewing solar eclipses. In fact, checking out a solar eclipse without approved glasses for solar eclipse viewing is much more dangerous than looking directly into the sun, because you are unaware any damage is occurring.
Good News
There is good news about eye damage from the sun because this problem is totally preventable. All you have to do is avoid looking directly at the sun and when you view solar eclipses, make sure to use glasses for solar eclipse use. You also can purchase special card type viewers to make solar eclipse viewing, safe, fun, and convenient. These products are very inexpensive, and you can order them custom printed for your special solar eclipse event or party.
If you would like to know more about the benefits of special glasses for solar eclipse viewing, come to American Paper Optics. We also have other solar eclipse viewing products, and you can visit our home on the Web today at http://www.eclipseglasses.com/ for more details.
