Harmful effects of looking directly at the sun during a partial eclipse?
Looking at the sun directly during the eclipse phenomenon causes great damage to the eye, up to the loss of vision, permanent or temporary damage to the retina, or distortion of vision, according to the director of the Surgical Eye Hospital, Dr. Rana Omran.
Dr. Omran advised people wishing to watch the partial eclipse of the sun that the world will witness this afternoon, to use the eclipse glasses designed for this purpose, with international standards, and make sure that they are free of any scratches, noting that when you finish watching the eclipse, you must look away from the sun first, then remove glasses, to avoid exposure to its rays.
Regarding the damage caused by looking directly at the eclipse, Dr. Omran indicated that it causes the burning of the center of vision, the macular, due to ultraviolet rays that lead to significant damage to the retina, pointing out that it is not necessary for the symptoms to appear directly, and they can appear after 12 hours, confirming that ordinary sunglasses, welding goggles, binoculars, telescopes without special filters, mobile phone camera and viewfinder, do not protect against radiation damage.
In turn, the Director of Emergency in the Ministry of Health, Dr. Tawfiq Hassaba, stated that the ambulance system’s paramedics will provide the health response, immediately, if needed, around the clock, on call 110.
It is noteworthy that the partial eclipse of the sun will begin at 12 and 56 minutes and 2 seconds, and will continue until the hour 15, 22 minutes and 40 seconds in the afternoon, Damascus time, and it will peak at 14, 11 minutes and 12 seconds, and the highest percentage of blocking the disk of the sun locally would be 48 percent.