Solar Eclipse: Do’s and Don’ts

When is the solar eclipse?
The June 21 2020 solar eclipse will start at 9:15 AM IST and will go on until 3:04 PM IST. The maximum eclipse will take place at 12:10 IST. According to timeanddate.com, the eclipse will be visible from much of Asia, Africa, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, parts of Europe and Australia. This will be an annular solar eclipse, during which the Moon will cover the Sun from the centre leaving a ring of light visible in the sky. This will happen as the Moon will be far away from Earth, which will make its relative size not big enough to cover the Sun completely. 

How is it dangerous?
The solar eclipse is dangerous because the sun’s rays’ outputs more power than our eyes can handle and this can lead to damage to the back part of the eye, the retina. The sunlight has ultraviolet rays UV A, B and C of which B and C are absorbed by cornea (front part of the eye) and lens. UV A rays can damage the retina and potentially lead to blindness.

What are the effects on the retina?

•  Sunlight that reaches the earth contains sufficient amount of harmful ultraviolet rays to cause damage or even destroy cells in the retina which is responsible for vision.
•  If your eye is exposed to the sun without proper eye protection during a solar eclipse it can lead to “eclipse blindness” or retinal burns called as ‘solar retinopathy’
•   Solar observation for more than 90 seconds exceeds the threshold of retinal damage.
•  This damage can be temporary or permanent and occurs with no pain.
•  It can take a few hours to a few days after viewing the solar eclipse to realize the damage that has occurred.

Recovery is spontaneous in nature and occurs over the course of few months after the inciting event, though visual recovery may be incomplete, and patient may suffer from permanent visual defects.

How do you prevent solar retinopathy?
Solar retinopathy can be prevented by refraining from direct sun-gazing or eclipse-viewing. Be careful about how you watch a solar eclipse. It is NOT recommended to view it in the following ways:
a)     Smartphone
b)     Regular Sunglasses        
c)     Camera viewfinder
d)    Unsafe filters: Unless specifically designed for viewing a solar eclipse, no filter is safe to use with any optical device (telescopes, binoculars, etc). All of these items can increase your risk of damaging your eyes It is safer to use readily available eclipse viewers which are available online and may be safe to watch the celestial movement. Children and Pregnant woman can watch Solar Eclipse on the Television. STAY INDOORS & STAY SAFE