Peek at solar eclipse not worth losing sight, optometrist warns
Optometrist warns against watching Monday’s event — except on television
AKelowna optometrist fears he will hear from people Tuesday morning about sudden problems with their vision. Paul Clark is concerned next Monday’s solar eclipse will tempt people to ignore warnings and try to take a dangerous peek at the partially obscured sun.
“I have a great fear that I will have patients in my office on Tuesday who woke up with hazy, blurry vision that I cannot fix,” Clark said Monday. “There is absolutely no safe way to watch the eclipse, other than on TV.”
From Kelowna, the moon will begin to block the sun at 9:13 a.m., with 83 per cent coverage at 10:25 a.m. and the end of the eclipse at 11:42 a.m.
With so much of the normal daylight dimmed, Clark believes many people, especially children, might believe it’s safe to try to watch the celestial spectacle.
“Because so much of the 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,” Clark says.
“During an eclipse, it is easier to stare for a bit,” he said. “But even less than 30 seconds of exposure to less than 10 per cent of the eclipsed sun can burn a blind spot right to your most precious central vision.”
While it’s possible to buy solar filter glasses, to observe the eclipse directly, Clark recommends against doing so.
If they are not used properly, or if there’s a small manufacturing defect in the glasses, serious eye damage could result, Clark says. Youngsters in particular might be tempted to remove solar filter glasses and look at the sun, he says.
The Okanagan Centre branch of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada is hosting a free public viewing event from 9 a.m. until noon at the Kelowna Curling Club, 551 Recreation Ave.
Approved solar eclipse glasses will be available for use, along with special solar eclipse telescopes.