Solar eclipse: how to protect our eyes from total or partial event across Australia

Observers of solar eclipses across Australia have been warned to shield their eyes from the amazing but dangerous astrological event.

While thousands of people have traveled to the small and remote Western Australian town of Exmouth to catch a glimpse of a full solar eclipse Thursday morning, the warning applies to those in other parts of the country who may see a partial eclipse this afternoon. .

However, the Western Australia Department of Health has issued a warning not to view the eclipse with the naked eye as it could still cause damage to viewers’ eyes.

Solar retinopathy – the condition that occurs after looking directly at the sun – can lead to serious and lifelong effects such as blurred vision and impaired color vision.

Instead of looking directly at the eclipse, the department recommends using indirect methods, such as through a camera or monitor.

The University of Western Australia recommends that viewers wear verified solar eclipse glasses – not sunglasses – that meet the international safety standard ISO 12312-2.

The university said it is “necessary” for those watching the eclipse to properly protect themselves during the event.

‘Expert guidelines advise never to look at the sun or a solar eclipse with the naked eye,’ reads the university’s website.

“Direct viewing should only be done with the proper use of approved solar eclipse glasses that meet an international safety standard known as ISO 12312-2.”

However, the state health department advised against the use of solar eclipse glasses, as they cannot guarantee that they will not prevent damage.

“Using equipment or glasses with specific solar filters for direct viewing of an eclipse is not recommended,” the department’s website reads.

‘[Because] their quality cannot be guaranteed, they may not block enough light, there may be scratches, cracks or pinholes [and] they often do not fit well in the face and light can reach the eyes from the openings.’

A NASA-approved viewing technique is the pinhole projectorwhich uses household materials and a small amount of arts and crafts to indirectly view an eclipse.

Dr. Robert Massey of the Royal Astronomical Society said another popular method of viewing an eclipse is the mirror projection method.

“You need a small, flat mirror and a means of placing it in the sun so that it reflects the sunlight into a room where you can see it on a wall or some kind of flat screen,” he said.

‘Perhaps you also have eclipse glasses with a certified safety mark, which are available from specialized astronomy suppliers.

“If they aren’t damaged in any way, can you see the sun through them?”

Those wishing to see the eclipse have been told to use eclipse glasses with an approved international standard of ISO 12312-2, or use indirect measures such as a pinhole projector

The shaded area marks the moon’s shadow moving across Earth on Thursday; people in this area will only see a partial eclipse unless they are on the path traversed by the black dot in the center – in which case they will see a total or annular eclipse

Looking directly at a solar eclipse has historically damaged the eyes of hundreds of viewers.

In Türkiye in 1976, 58 people sought treatment for eye damage after a solar eclipse, many of which had not healed more than 15 years later.

in 1999, the Leicester Royal Infirmary saw 45 patients with eye damage following a solar eclipse in the area.

Four of the 45 reported seeing “the ghosts of damage” in their eyesight seven months after the eclipse.