Next Monday’s solar eclipse is expected to last nearly four-and-a-half minutes, as the moon completely blocks the sun.
But are you prepared to safely witness this natural phenomenon? If you’re planning on gazing at this once-in-a-lifetime event, you’ll need special glasses to avoid permanent eye damage.
WTOP’s Michelle Basch and John Aaron spoke with CBS News Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook about just how serious it is to have these special glasses on Monday.
The transcript below has been edited for clarity and length.
John Aaron: Dr. LaPook, we’re told we need some serious glasses here. But can we just kind of like glance at the sun ever-so-quickly, and hope for the best? Is that OK?
Dr. Jon LaPook: Oh, you really can’t. Even just a brief glimpse right at the sun can cause severe damage. And, you know, there was a survey that came in out of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, and they found nearly 30% of Americans don’t know that when you look at a solar eclipse without any protection, it can cause permanent eye damage. That was surprising to me. I mean, I thought, you know, like that was well known. But you know, it’s coming up right now. And just like you said, people say, ‘I’ll just look at it for a second.’ Actually, no, there’s special glasses, and I just want to put it right out there. There’s some information if you go online to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and also the American Astronomical Society. They give you a bunch of these tips. There are special glasses called the eclipse glasses (that) have to meet very specific worldwide standards, ISO 12312-2. It’s not just sunglasses.
Michelle Basch: Those are widely available, right, those special glasses?
Dr. Jon LaPook: They are widely available, apparently, you know, as with anything, there are fakes, so you have to look for that certification that ISO 12312-2. And then there are these other tips, you know, you have to look at them carefully. If you see any scratches or damage, don’t use them. You have to follow the directions. I know it seems like a big deal, but you really have to make sure that you don’t damage those eyes because again, as John sort of implied at the beginning, a lot of people will just think ‘Well, you know, I’m just gonna look at it for a second or two.’ No, even a second or two is enough to cause damage. Back in (August) 2017, I actually went out to Oregon with my wife Kate and my son Noah. We were in Oregon and it was amazing. It was an experience of a lifetime. It was very spiritual. It’s like 10 o’clock in the morning and suddenly the sun is covered and the animals (and birds) start acting kind of weirdly. It’s a strange quiet. You look up and suddenly, you see the moon, because it’s like nighttime briefly and there’s the moon coming out. There were a lot of people from all over the world who had gathered. It was a really spiritual experience.
But speaking of people, one of the tips (is) that when there are so many people gathered together, the Wi-Fi might not work well. So if you’re with family, make a plan. Know where are you going to meet if you get separated. You know, an obvious thing but you may not think about it. Discuss these plans, make travel arrangements and expect to stay in the location hours after it ends. I remember that the roads were just packed. We actually slept outside for the eclipse. It was really an amazing experience.
John Aaron: That sounds super cool. Thanks, Dr. LaPook. Have a good one.
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