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A28 SCIENCE
Friday 11 august 2017

Science Says: Solar specs needed for safe viewing of eclipse

By MARCIA DUNN feel it. The damage can be Don’t use eclipse glasses
AP Aerospace Writer temporary or permanent. with filters that are crum-
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. “It’s really important to re- pled, scratched or torn. If
(AP) — With the total solar sist the urge to look even you can see any light be-
eclipse right around the momentarily, directly in the sides the sun, it’s time for
cosmic corner, eye doc- sun because you have no new solar specs. Also be-
tors are going into nagging real sense of time,” says ware if the eclipse glasses
overdrive. Dr. Christopher Quinn, are older than 2015, when
They say mom was right: president of the American international safety stan-
You can damage your eyes Optometric Association. dards were adopted.
staring at the sun, even the “What you think may be a Eclipse glasses can be
slimmest sliver of it. glancing look could be a worn directly over your
So it’s time to rustle up spe- more substantial amount of prescription glasses or with
cial eclipse eyewear to time, and that can result in contacts. As for binoculars,
use Aug. 21, when the U.S. permanent damage.” telescopes and cameras,
has its first full solar eclipse Forget sunglasses. Certified high-quality solar filters
spanning coast to coast in In this Wednesday, March 9, 2016 file photo, people wearing eclipse glasses or hand- are essential and must be
protective glasses look up at the sun to watch a solar eclipse in
99 years. Jakarta, Indonesia. held viewers are a must mounted at the front end.
“We have an opportunity Associated Press for direct viewing. Or you Chou collected and stud-
to experience a spectacu- Midwestern plains, down Georgia, 97 percent; and can look indirectly with a ied 20 reports of temporary
lar natural phenomenon, to South Carolina. The rest Memphis, Tennessee, 94 pinhole projector — home- eye injuries following a 1979
and we can enjoy it with of the U.S. gets a partial percent. So for those cit- made will do, crafted from total solar eclipse that in-
some simple protection. But eclipse that extends into ies — and anywhere else a shoebox, or grab a kitch- cluded Canada. Males un-
if you don’t use that pro- Canada and to the top of with a partial eclipse — you en colander — that casts der age 20 were found to
tection, you’ll be paying for South America. need to keep those solar images of the eclipsed sun be particularly susceptible;
it for the rest of your life,” So it’s important to know specs on the whole time. onto a screen at least 3 they tended to ignore safe-
says Dr. Paul Sternberg, di- exactly where you are on What can happen when feet away. ty warnings, he said.
rector of the Vanderbilt Eye eclipse day in relation to you look directly at the sun? When it comes to eyewear, In 1999, British doctors re-
Institute in Nashville, smack that path of totality, ad- You’re essentially cooking though, the emphasis is on ported 70 cases of tempo-
dab in the middle of the to- vises Dr. B. Ralph Chou, a your retina, the delicate, certified. rary eye damage follow-
tal eclipse path. retired professor of optom- light-sensitive tissue deep Worried about potential- ing a full solar eclipse. Most
No peeking, for example, etry at the University of Wa- inside the eyeball. Solar ra- ly dangerous knockoffs, cases involved no or inad-
without eclipse glasses or terloo in Ontario who is also diation can kill those cells. NASA, the American Astro- equate eye protection and
other certified filters except an astronomer and eclipse Hours can pass before you nomical Society and others many were from spots with
during the two minutes or so chaser. realize the extent of the are urging eclipse watchers a partial eclipse, just shy of
when the moon complete- He’ll be in Oregon for his damage. to stick with reputable mak- a full one.
ly blots out the sun, called 19th total solar eclipse. It’s known in the trade as ers of sun-gazing devices. Chou stresses that out-
totality. That’s the only time “Unfortunately, when it solar blindness or solar reti- The society’s solar eclipse side the path of totality,
it’s safe to view the eclipse comes to safety with a solar nopathy — not total blind- task force has put out a list where there’s only a partial
without protection. eclipse, 99.9 percent cov- ness, rather more like age- of approved manufactur- eclipse, “it’s never safe to
When totality is ending, erage means a 0.1 percent related macular degen- ers. take the filters off.”q
then it’s time to put them area of the sun that is still eration, where you have
back on. uncovered and is every bit trouble reading or recog-
To be clear, totality means as dangerous,” Chou said. nizing faces, or lose those
100 percent of the sun is For example, Boise, Idaho, abilities altogether.
covered. will see 99 percent sun cov- Seconds are enough for
That will occur only along erage; Omaha, Nebraska, retinal sunburn. And un-
a narrow strip stretching 98 percent; Savannah, like with the skin, you can’t
from Oregon, through the