 |
| Dr. Porter |
On a normal day, there's little reason to think anyone would look into the sun long enough to harm their eyesight. But today, local residents will join millions of Americans gazing up to catch a glimpse of the Great American Eclipse, the first total solar eclipse to darken the skies above Crittenden County in the lifetime of anyone living here today.
Marion optometrist Dr. Adria Porter warns the dangers from staring directly at the sun at any time without protective eyewear are very real.
"It burns the retina, which will cause you to have blind spots in your vision," Porter explained. "It's not complete blindness, but vision impairment."
Solar retinopathy damages the retina’s light cells at the back of the eyeball, effectively causing "sunburn." Damaged cells effectively burn out, shutting down light receptors and leaving blind spots in a person’s field of vision. Typically, it's straight-ahead sight that is affected, not peripheral vision, Porter said.
An eclipse offers a particular risk. With the sun almost covered Monday during the eclipse, it may be comfortable to stare at the sun and protective reflexes like pupil contraction and blinking are less likely to kick in than on a typical day. So you won't likely notice pain as the damage occurs, but the harm is still being done.
Porter said permanent blind spots could appear as early as Monday evening.
"I expect I will have patients come in over a few days (after the eclipse) who may be worried about their vision," she said. "But hopefully, everyone will view it safely."
She recently treated a patient who has had eclipse blindness since childhood, when he looked directly at the sun during an eclipse without proper protection.
Protection does not mean sunglasses or even welding shields, Porter cautioned. If you're going to look up, eclipse glasses need to be NASA-approved, with “ISO 12312-2” printed on them.
Other so-called eclipse glasses, as well as the recommended versions that may have scratched or wrinkled film, are not considered safe.
Even with the proper gear, Porter suggests looking away every few seconds.
"It's probably a good idea to not watch it continuously," she said. "Just take a little break."
The partial eclipse in Marion begins at 11:55 a.m. Totality arrives at 1:23 p.m. and lasts 2 minutes and 31 seconds. The entire show is over at 2:50 p.m.
