Help Kids View The Solar Eclipse Safely Without Damaging Their Eyes
ILLINOIS — The 2024 Total Solar Eclipse is coming Monday, April 8, and millions of Americans are anxiously checking weather forecasts for sunny skies, but you still need to protect your eyes during the celestial event even if there is cloud cover.
While viewing a solar eclipse is an awe-inspiring experience, it’s still crucial to do so safely to protect your eyesight, especially young children. All eyes can be damaged when viewing the eclipse without the protective eyewear. In extreme cases, you really can go blind staring into an eclipse.
The optometrists of Complete Vision Care in Oak Lawn, Ill., and members of the Illinois Optometric Association, say it’s simply not safe to use welding glasses, tinted glasses or other non-certified equipment. Schools, libraries, organizations and retail centers are giving away or selling certified (ISO 12312-2) solar eclipse viewing glasses to avoid the shortage of the 2017 solar eclipse.
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“The retina is very sensitive to light emitted by the sun,” said Dr. Mohammad Salem. “Looking directly at the sun during a solar eclipse can lead to irreversible damage to central vision. It’s not worth the risk.”
Certified eclipse glasses are very dark and only allow viewing of the solar disc. Everything else will be dark when looking through them. These glasses block ultraviolet, visible and infrared radiation. It’s especially important for children not to look at the sun unprotected.
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“Kids are at the greatest risk for retinal damage,” Dr. Salem added. “Supervise your children carefully with glasses because with their natural curiosity, they may be prone to take off the glasses or peek around them.”
NASA suggests cutting out eye holes in a medium or large paper plate to provide additional protection. Start by tracing around the solar glasses on the paper plate, being careful not to touch the lenses of the glasses. Tape the outside of the solar lenses over the cut-outs. It is essential that the cut-outs are checked to make sure there are no gaps where sunlight can get through. Insert the arms of the eclipse glasses through the slots to make sure that the lenses are lined up with the holes.
>>>How To Help Kids Safely View The Solar Eclipse: NASA
Cut out a triangular section for the nose and mouth. For younger children, the earpieces might not fit securely. In that case, a string, ribbon, or rubber band can be attached to the sides of the plate so that the child can wear it like a mask. The string will help hold the protective shield in place. Before you start cutting, kids can decorate their paper plates. As always, check for the proper fit when finished.
Binoculars and telescopes may be equipped with special solar filters and should never be used during an eclipse without them. The concentrated sunlight through these devices can cause serious eye damage almost instantly.
Dr. Sandra Bury, another Complete Vision Care optometrist, said she hasn’t had a kid yet that hasn’t taken off the depth perception lenses during a vision test and looked around.
“Kids and adults don’t realize how dark the solar eclipse viewing glasses that have the NASA required ISO 12312-2 number are when you first put them on,” Dr. Bury said. “Kids may not be comfortable walking around with them on or not being able to see mom or dad. That might increase the risk of kids taking off their glasses.”
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Dr. Bury said she prefers the old-school way of making a pinhole project from a box. Simply poke a small hole in a piece of cardboard and hold it above the ground, allowing the sunlight to pass through the hole. This will project an image of the eclipsed sun onto a surface, such as another piece of cardboard on the ground. By looking at the ground image, there is minimal risk of looking directly at the sun accidentally.
“In the Chicago area we are in the partial eclipse zone, which still puts us at risk for damage to our eyes,” Dr. Bury said. “Solar retinopathy has no symptoms at first, and there is no pain associated with it. The damage will be done before it can be noticed. We can’t stress enough that you must be prepared to view the eclipse safely, and especially supervise children.”
By prioritizing safety during this celestial event, you and your family can enjoy this phenomenon and appreciate the beauty of our solar system for years to come.
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