The Eclipse and Vision Health

As the solar eclipse was today, I thought it would be interesting to discuss how the eclipse can affect your health and overall well-being. 

As many people know, an eclipse can cause eye damage if you stare directly at it for too long. This potential vision loss (or damage), or “eclipse blindness” is a result of looking at an eclipse for a dangerous duration without proper eye protection. The light exposure from the eclipse can damage the cells within the retina. Sometimes this eye damage can be temporary, and many times people do not realize the damage until after some time has passed following the eclipse. Some symptoms of eye damage include altered color or distorted vision. Overall, it is best to be safe and plan ahead so that you do not risk damaging your vision.

If you wish to watch the eclipse, the best way to do so is with solar eclipse glasses which are available to purchase at several locations. Some may think that one can still watch it through an iPhone camera, but the eclipse can actually potentially damage your phone’s camera. If you wish to watch the eclipse, make sure you have a safe plan of action first so you do not cause any damage to your vision.