Sampalis Eyecare in Cranston Rhode Island is concerned for the eyesight of all Americans on Monday, Aug 21, 2017.  Every person young or old MUST know that there is NO absolutely safe way to directly view the solar eclipse. Solar eclipse glasses with ISO 12312-2 certification or a welding shield with protective shade 14 are the only way people can watch the eclipse and mitigate the risk of vision loss. These devices block out 99.999% of visible light— you can’t see ANYTHING through them except the sun. The glasses are thousands of times darker and stronger than your darkest pair of sunglasses, so don’t even think about trying to use one or multiple sunglasses to look.

The real danger in looking at the sun during an eclipse is that the eclipse makes it actually possible to gaze upon it for more than a moment. Because so much of the sun’s light is blocked by the moon, if one looks at it without full protection, it does not cause pain as looking at the sun does on a regular day.  Just like sunburn to the skin, the effects are not felt or noticed immediately, and even looking for only seconds at the smallest sliver of the sun will burn a blind spot right to your most precious central vision.  As the eclipse passes over most of our cities, the moon will block 59 to 99% of the sun. For any city not in the path of totality, there will be no time where it is safe to view the eclipse without the solar filter.

Unless you already have your solar glasses, almost everywhere is sold out, so there is little chance you will be able to get a safe, non counterfeit pair.  Keep your eyes and vision safe this time and keep them away from the sky because this is NOT a once in a lifetime occurrence. There will be another TOTAL eclipse all over again on April 8, 2024 with zone of totality going from Texas to Maine so start getting ready for that one!