Prepare to be dazzled by Total Solar Eclipse 2024! As NASA states, “On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. A total solar eclipse happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. The sky will darken as if it were dawn or dusk.”1
As an ophthalmologist, I am increasingly concerned with eye safety when watching a solar eclipse. Ophthalmologists are well aware of the risks of prolonged sunlight exposure to the health of the central vision, or macula. As early as 400 BC, Socrates warned, “People may injure their eyes by observing or gazing on the sun during an eclipse.”2 Some 2400 years later, we still have an increased risk of vision loss if we do not use proper eye protection when watching the solar eclipse.
In previous blog posts, I offered detailed explanations and links which explain the potential causes and effects of solar eclipse sun gazing and vision loss. Highlights include NASA’s “Eclipse 101” on retinal rod and cone damage here.3 One of the oldest articles I could find is from a British soldier who experienced a blind spot after the July 1945 solar eclipse in Europe. The full article is in a previous blog post.4
Dr. Goel’s Seven Eye Safety Tips for Solar Eclipse 2024:
1. Use certified solar eclipse glasses manufactured by reputable dealers. The American Astronomical Society (AAS) has a list of reputable vendors for solar glasses and viewers.5 Please check the glasses for any imperfections before the start of the eclipse. Suggested technique: Look AWAY from the sun (i.e. Turn around with your back to the sun) when you put the glasses on AND when you take them off. You should not remove the solar glasses at any point while you are looking in the sun’s pathway.
2. *** Your regular sunglasses are NOT good enough! *** Your regular sunglasses will NOT be sufficient to counterbalance the intensity of enhanced light ray effect during the solar eclipse. They may actually make the situation worse as non-certified solar eclipse glasses may cause the pupil to become bigger (dilate) and not give proper eye protection.
3. As an ophthalmologist, I recommend that children must be under extra precaution during the solar eclipse. You don’t want a child to “take a peek” outside of the protective eyewear. The “take a peek” can possibly cause irreversible retina damage. NASA published an excellent resource for K-12 Formal Education solar eclipse here.6 Great care must be taken for anyone and especially children.
4. The American Academy of Ophthalmology has an excellent resource at Solar Eclipse Eye Safety.7
5. Ophthalmology is about #ProtectingSight. Even this once in a generation event is not worth the risk without proper eye protection. The image above displays solar retinopathy from staring at the sun for too long. Social media also has numerous stories of patients who lost sight and are advocates for protecting sight. Here is one story from the 1962 solar eclipse.8
6. Check out the solar eclipse trajectory in your hometown with the NASA Eclipse Explorer map. Just enter your zip code!
Based on the example NASA map, the maximum eclipse in Cherry Hill, New Jersey will occur at approximately 3:23 pm with 88.1% maximum coverage. Cherry Hill will not experience a total eclipse and solar eclipse glasses are essential. I will use solar eclipse glasses for all sun viewing during the moon’s entire trajectory across the path of the sun (including in areas of complete darkness!).
7. A wonderful 4-minute YouTube video by ophthalmology colleague and social media guru Steve Christiansen MD is available on his website (with written narrative).9
8. (BONUS PEARL!) We live in a social media world! Don’t forget that your iPhone / Android and other smartphone devices need special filters to block out the intense light AND take useful images. GREAT CAUTION should be taken as solar eclipse glasses are no longer considered by some to be sufficiently safe for smartphone and similar devices. I searched “solar eclipse filter for iphone” and found numerous products for solar eclipse image enhancing lens for smartphones.
9. (BONUS PEARL #2) See the American Academy of Ophthalmology detailed post: Learn How to Photograph an Eclipse Without Damaging Your Eyes or Your Camera.10 I have a short YouTube video above also in which I use solar eclipse glasses (no longer sufficient!). For future solar eclipses, I would purchase a product similar to this one on Amazon (no financial interest!)
10. (BONUS PEARL #3) I enjoyed an engaging 2017 interview with Fox 29 Philadelphia’s Joyce Evans. All of the video pearls are included in the narrative above.
Please stay eye safe as you experience #SolarEclipse2024!
- “2024 Total Solar Eclipse” (NASA website). Accessed April 1, 2024. ↩︎
- Dvorak, John. Mask of the Sun. United States: Pegasus Books, 2017. (Google Books) Accessed April 1, 2024. ↩︎
- “Eclipse 101” (NASA website) ↩︎
- “An Ophthalmic Report of the July 1945 Solar Eclipse (Burn of Macula) Remains Relevant!” (ProtectingSight) ↩︎
- “Suppliers of Safe Solar Viewers & Filters” (American Astronomical Society) ↩︎
- “K-12 Formal Education” on Solar Eclipse (NASA website) ↩︎
- “Solar Eclipse Eye Safety” (American Academy of Ophthalmology) ↩︎
- “Man with eye damage from 1962 eclipse: Don’t make the same mistake I did” (today.com) ↩︎
- “Eye Safety Tips for the Solar Eclipse” (eyesteve.com) ↩︎
- “Learn How to Photograph an Eclipse Without Damaging Your Eyes or Your Camera” (aao.org) ↩︎
Ravi D. Goel M.D. is a cataract surgeon & comprehensive ophthalmologist at Regional Eye Associates in Cherry Hill, NJ. He is also a clinical instructor at Wills Eye Hospital. His patient-friendly YouTube cataract surgery educational videos are here.
Post your pics and tag #ProtectingSight!
