Ahead of Friday’s (March 20) solar eclipse, the College of Optometrists has reminded patients of the dangers of looking directly at the sun while it is taking place.
The UK will experience a partial eclipse, meaning it won’t quite experience total darkness. Those in Scotland and Northern England are expected to experience the darkest conditions.
Dr Susan Blakeney, College clinical adviser said: ‘You should never look directly at the sun and that applies when there’s a total or partial eclipse as well. This is because the radiation emitted by the sun is so powerful it may cause a solar burn of the retina.’
The College advised not to look directly at the sun, even with sunglasses on, as they do not offer enough protection. It also said not to watch it through a telescope, binoculars, camera or camera-phone.
It recommended that patients use a pinhole projection method. This involves putting a hole in a piece of cardboard, and holding the cardboard up – with their back to the sun – so that an image of the sun was projected onto another piece of paper or card. This works well using a cardboard box, and will allow patients to see the progress of the eclipse without damaging their eyes.
