Eye safety tips you need to know ahead of the solar eclipse

By: Alex Delaney-Gesing

Ahead of the much anticipated solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, experts from across the eyecare space are offering their best clinical advice for how to safely take in this year’s biggest solar event.

To kick things off, Glance President Jaclyn Garlich, OD, FAAO, spoke with Bausch + Lomb’s Jill Saxon, OD, FAAO, executive director of professional strategy, on the importance of educating patients and her best practices for ensuring eye health.

So, what the heck is a solar eclipse?

It’s what happens when the moon passes between the sun and Earth, resulting in a complete blockage of the sun’s face.

The effect on Earth: if you’re in the “path of totality” (where the moon’s shadow completely covers the sun), the sky will become dark like dusk or dawn, and the sun’s outer atmosphere will be viewable (weather permitting, of course).

NASA provides more information.

Now let’s talk ocular effects.

Eye damage can occur from looking at the sun during a solar eclipse if you’re not wearing proper eye protection (even sunglasses aren’t enough)—and such damage (dubbed “eclipse blindness”) could be permanent.

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Source: Eyes on EyeCare