


If you look through and the sun is too bright, out of focus or surrounded by a murky haze, or if you can see things like ordinary household lights, the glasses aren’t safe. To test for safety, the only thing you can see through a safe solar filter is the sun itself. The organization has a list it keeps updated. “The only way you can be sure your solar viewer is safe is to verify that it comes from a reputable manufacturer or one of their authorized dealers,” the society said in a recent release. Websites are also displaying false results that claim to show positive test results for glasses they sell.
#Will staring at the sun make you blind iso
Unsafe eclipse glasses bearing the ISO logo and certification label have been flooding the market, according the astronomical society. “Solar filters that meet this standard are about 100,000 times darker than ordinary sunglasses, and sunglasses don’t block infrared radiation.”
#Will staring at the sun make you blind full
“Filters that meet the ISO 12312-2 standard reduce the sun’s brightness to a safe and comfortable level, like that of a full moon, and block harmful ultraviolet and infrared radiation as well,” said Rick Fienberg of the American Astronomical Society. The road to watching this summer's solar eclipse starts in the library? Whether you use the cardboard eclipse glasses or a handheld card with a single rectangular view, the most important feature is the filter. They’re cheap and widely available, and some libraries are even providing them free. You’ll need eclipse glasses, which are regulated by an international safety standard. No matter how cute or fancy they may be, wearing your favorite pair of sunglasses – or a whole stack of sunglasses, for any MacGyver wannabes out there – won’t help. “It’s never a good idea to view the eclipse without the protection.”

“It’s really impossible for people, when they’re in the moment, to make a judgment over brief versus prolonged exposure,” Quinn said. The problem is, you won’t know whether it’s temporary. Any amount of looking at it is too long.Įven the smallest amount of exposure can cause blurry vision or temporary blindness. There’s no internal trigger that is going to let you know that you’ve looked at the sun for too long. So even if you’re excited about the eclipse and think one brief glimpse at the sun before it completely hides behind the moon is worth it – it’s not.

The retina may translate light into an electrical impulse that the brain understands, but one thing it can’t translate to your brain is pain. “If the exposure is great enough, that can and will lead to permanent reduction in vision and even blindness.”Ī slacker's guide to the 2017 solar eclipse Christopher Quinn, president of the American Optometric Association. “When you look directly at the sun, the intensity of the light and the focus of the light is so great on the retina that it can cook it,” said Dr. Looking directly at the powerful brightness of the sun can cause damage to the retina, the light-sensitive part of the eye. Your face won’t melt off, “Raiders of the Lost Ark”-style, but your eyes could be severely damaged. Otherwise, any glimpse of the sun’s brightness is not only uncomfortable, it’s dangerous. The only time you can look at the sun with your naked eye is A) if you’re in the path of totality, where the sun will be completely covered by the moon, and B) during those two minutes or less when the sun is completely covered.ĭuring those brief and geographically constrained moments, the brightness of the sun is reduced to that of a full moon, which can be viewed safely without anything over your eyes. No matter what superstitions you’ve heard, there is no risk to your health due to simply being outside during a total solar eclipse.īut there’s one thing you shouldn’t do, and that’s look at the sun with your naked eye. Every astronomer in the country will tell you to enjoy this rare opportunity. Wherever you are in the United States, you’re going to want to look up, and that’s OK. This is the progression of a total solar eclipse.
