Solar Eclipses

Solar Eclipses

Looking directly at the sun during an eclipse without proper eye protection can cause serious eye damage, such as retinal burns, blurred vision and permanent or temporary vision loss. Eye protection that meets the ISO 12312-2:2015 safety standard is needed to protect your eyes from serious, and sometimes permanent damage. Even if you are in an area where there will be only a partial eclipse, and are not in the path of totality, you must take precautions to protect your eyes and prevent damage.

How to watch safely

If you will be watching a solar eclipse, take the following precautions to protect your eyes:

Only look at the eclipse while wearing eye protection from a reputable source that meets the ISO 12312-2:2015 safety standard and has the manufacturer’s name and date of production on them.

Do not use a viewer if it has scratched or wrinkled lenses.
Ensure that eclipse glasses fully cover your field of vision.
Put on glasses when looking away from the sun, then look at the eclipse. Look away from the sun before taking glasses off.
Do not use regular sunglasses, cameras, phones, binoculars, or telescopes to watch the eclipse, as they do not provide adequate protection.
Do not use DVDs, potato chip bags, or other homemade filters.
If you will be working outdoors during the eclipse, make sure you are wearing protective eyewear for the duration of the eclipse.

Alternatively, watch the eclipse indirectly through an eclipse box, pinhole projector, or livestream. Livestreams of the eclipse are a safe way to view the eclipse without the risk of injury from misusing equipment.

Supervise children to ensure they do not look at the eclipse without proper eye protection.

Safety while driving

If you will be driving during a solar eclipse:

Do not look at the eclipse while driving.

Make sure to have your headlights on.

Do not take pictures or video record while you are driving.

Do not park on or pull over to the shoulder of highways to watch the eclipse.

Watch for pedestrians.

Risks

While solar eclipses are fascinating events, they can be dangerous. Damage to your eyes can occur even when the sun is partially covered by the eclipse. Symptoms can take 12 to 48 hours to appear. Your retinas do not have pain receptors, so you may not know that damage is happening until symptoms appear and it is too late.

If you are experiencing blurred vision, or loss of vision after viewing an eclipse, please contact your health care provider or Health811. If you are experiencing blindness after viewing an eclipse (immediate or delayed), seek emergency care immediately.

Information for child care facilities and parents with young children

Young children should be monitored closely during a solar eclipse. Eye damage from looking at the sun can occur even while the sun is partially blocked. Childcare facilities should keep young children indoors during the eclipse, with windows and curtains shut, to prevent accidental eye injury from looking at the eclipse without proper safety equipment.

Whenever possible, it would be best if parents did not collect their children from childcare facilities during the eclipse. However, if not possible, parents should take precautions to protect their children’s eyes.

Immunization Requirements for Children in School

How to watch safely

Safety while driving

Risks

Information for institutions

Information for child care facilities and parents with young children

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