Here’s what actually happens to your eyes if you stare at a solar eclipse without glasses

If you’re planning on watching the solar eclipse this evening, there is one very important thing you need to know before you start staring at the sky.

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The UK is set to get a spectacular partial solar eclipse today, giving everyone the chance to see the moon move across the sun. It’s the sort of thing you’re obviously going to want to look at, but doing so without the right protection could leave you with permanent damage to your eyesight.

So, before you head outside to see it, here’s exactly how to watch the eclipse without putting your eyes at risk.

Don’t just grab your sunglasses

It might seem obvious to reach for a pair of sunglasses when you’re looking towards something as bright as the Sun, but they aren’t enough.

The advice is to use certified eclipse glasses that meet the international ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Normal sunglasses won’t protect your eyes from the radiation coming from the Sun, even if they’re particularly dark. And doubling up with two pairs won’t magically make them safe either.

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If you’re planning to get a closer look using a camera, telescope or binoculars, you’ll also need approved solar filters attached to the equipment.

There is a way to watch the eclipse without special glasses, though. An indirect viewing method, such as a pinhole projector, allows you to see an image of the Sun projected onto a surface rather than looking straight at it.

The basic idea is to have the Sun behind you and watch the projected image instead.

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So what if you do look?

This is where things get pretty scary.

NASA warns that looking at the Sun directly without specialist eye protection can cause severe eye injury. The same applies if you’re viewing it through a camera, binoculars or telescope without the correct solar filter fitted to the front.

One of the biggest problems is that you might not immediately know you’ve hurt yourself. Permanent damage caused by staring at the Sun is known as solar retinopathy. The retina doesn’t have pain receptors, meaning your eyes can be injured without giving you the usual warning signs that something is wrong.

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And you don’t necessarily have to spend ages staring at the Sun for something to go wrong. Figures from the Royal College of Ophthalmologists recorded around 70 cases of vision problems after the 1999 solar eclipse. Around 40 per cent of those affected had watched the eclipse for less than a minute.

The UKHSA has also made it clear that sunglasses, as well as 3D glasses, aren’t a safe alternative to proper eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers. They might make the Sun appear less dazzling, but they don’t filter out the harmful solar radiation that can reach your eyes.

The safest option is simple: Use proper eclipse protection and never stare directly at the Sun.

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Featured image credit via Canva