Warnings for those viewing Monday’s partial eclipse
While many will be looking to the skies on Monday to catch a glimpse of the first partial eclipse visible in North America since 2014, a local optometrist said there are risks involved.
Dr. Jamie Lawrence of River Valley Eye Care in North Battleford warns while seeing such an event can be exciting, looking directly at the phenomenon could cause serious damage to your eyesight.
“The danger with staring at the sun is the tremendous amount of radiation it omits,” Lawrence said. “That bodes the same for a partial or total eclipse as well.”
Lawrence explained on a regular sunny day, you would only be able to look directly at the sun for just a few seconds because of the intensity of the sun’s rays. If you stared for even a few minutes, you would get enough radiation exposure to the retina to cause long-term damage.