MIDLAND, Texas — With the eclipse going on Saturday, lots of people are going to be tempted to look at it when it happens.
But there are risks for doing so if you're not careful.
Normal sunglasses will not protect your eyes effectively while watching a solar eclipse, you'll need special glasses.
"You definitely don't want to watch it with the naked eye. You'll get a lot of solar radiation and that can cause a lot of damage to your eyes," Dr. Aaron Urias, optometrist at Urias Eyecare in Midland, said. "Even brief viewing of the eclipse is very harmful to the eyes. It can have long lasting effects, life-long effects sometimes.”
Dr. Urias also said because we don't have any pain receptors in the back of our eyes, like we do in other parts of our bodies, you're not going to notice that any harm is being done because you're not feeling any pain.
“You'll get a type of retinopathy, solar retinopathy in the back that can last a lifetime," Dr. Urias said. "You'll get a lot of scarring in the back if that happens."
Dr. Urias recommends if you looked at a solar eclipse with the naked eye for even just a little bit, that you contact your local optometrist, set up an appointment and get your eyes checked out. That way you can be safe than sorry and address any possible eye damage as quickly as possible.