Don’t let the eclipse leave you with eye damage

As Friday morning’s celestial spectacle nears, people are flocking to Scotland for the best view of the first eclipse in over 15 years. Not to be the ones to spoil a party, we must take this opportunity to reiterate the words from the Association of Optometrists regarding the damage that looking directly at the eclipse could do to your eyes.A glance for even a minute could lead to you burning the back of your eyes.
Ensure you don’t look directly at the sun and please don’t see it as the opportunity for the perfect solar selfie. Doing so puts you at risk of blindness as you will undoubtedly keep looking up to see when your moment to snap is upon you.

Binoculars and cameras are a no no as they will concentrate the already powerful rays into your eye. Leave the photography to the experts with the super solar filters.Pinhole cameras are another option if you can get your hands on one, or if you want to make your own Blue-Peter-style follow the steps in this BBC article. Specifically designed eclipse-viewing glasses are also available to buy quite cheaply. Sunglasses on the other hand will provide no protection.

For those of you stuck in the office, you’ll be pleased to hear that the safest way to view it is on TV or online. If you have a bit of time on your hands and want to learn all there is to know on the subject of eclipse viewing, the Royal Astronomical Society have a PDF you can download here.