August 19, 20179 yr If looking at the eclipse is very bad on the eyes what did people do years ago? I remember hearing stories of Native American Indians shooting flaming arrows at the sun in an attempt to re-ignite it. So did they all ruin their eyes? What about cavemen? What about people in in the 15th century? Did they damage their eyes?
August 19, 20179 yr If cavemen looked into the eyes of the sun very often, then, yes, their retinas were compromised and many of them were blinded by that big yellow ball.
August 19, 20179 yr If cavemen looked into the eyes of the sun very often, then, yes, their retinas were compromised and many of them were blinded by that big yellow ball. I've no intentions of chancing ruining my eyesight, but is the damage to the eyes something that is instantly noticeable, or something that progressively worsens over time?
August 19, 20179 yr Looking at the sun on the afternoon of August 21 is bad every year. The eclipse of this year makes it no worse. It's very simple. If you are going to look at the sun, wear properly filtered glasses or a welders helmet with at least level 12 glass. There are all kinds of ways to observe the eclipse without looking at the sun. I can list them, if anyone is interested.
August 19, 20179 yr I've no intentions of chancing ruining my eyesight, but is the damage to the eyes something that is instantly noticeable, or something that progressively worsens over time? It could take years for the damage to show up
August 20, 20179 yr Looking at the sun on the afternoon of August 21 is bad every year. The eclipse of this year makes it no worse. It's very simple. If you are going to look at the sun, wear properly filtered glasses or a welders helmet with at least level 12 glass. There are all kinds of ways to observe the eclipse without looking at the sun. I can list them, if anyone is interested. I thought it was Level 14 welder's glass. My uncle is a retired boilermaker and still does work out of his garage shop.
August 20, 20179 yr If looking at the eclipse is very bad on the eyes what did people do years ago? I remember hearing stories of Native American Indians shooting flaming arrows at the sun in an attempt to re-ignite it. So did they all ruin their eyes? What about cavemen? What about people in in the 15th century? Did they damage their eyes? Who knows? The average life expectancy wasn't much back then, and little data is available on that sort of specific thing. Which, of course, kills the argument you're trying to make that "it was good enough in the good-'ol days, so it should be good enough now." Like houses with lead paint and buildings with asbestos for insulation. Science is your friend, despite what some loony preachers might tell you.
August 20, 20179 yr I thought it was Level 14 welder's glass. My uncle is a retired boilermaker and still does work out of his garage shop. This is from NASA stating that 12 is the minimum but that some may find it too intense and opt for a stronger lens. https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety
August 20, 20179 yr I've no intentions of chancing ruining my eyesight, but is the damage to the eyes something that is instantly noticeable, or something that progressively worsens over time? Damage to the eyes from sun exposure can take two forms: short-term damage and long-term damage. Short-term damage ("solar retinopathy") occurs when a person stares directly at the sun, and is a result of too much ultraviolet light flooding the retina. In extreme cases this can cause blindness, but is so painfull that it is rare for someone to be able to stare at the sun for that long. Typically, eye damage from staring at the sun results in blurred vision, dark or yellow spots, pain in bright light or loss of vision in the center of the eye (the fovea). Permanent damage to the retina has been shown to occur in ~100 seconds, but the exact time before damage occurs will vary with the intensity of the sun on a particular day (clouds and haze can weaken the sun's rays) and with how much the viewer's pupil is dilated (decongestants and other drugs will dilate pupils). Obviously, no one has done a study to measure the exact time before damage or blindness occurs, but doctors collect information after events like the 1999 solar eclipse, when people who stared directly at the sun for several minutes went to see their doctor. In one study, about half had permanent damage. Short-term damage can be easily prevented: never look directly at the sun. During sunsets, when the intensity of ultraviolet light is lower due to scattering, avoid looking directly at the sun for more than a few minutes at a time. Sunglasses and camera filters do not prevent short-term damage, and may make it more likely by dilating your pupil and/or allowing you to stare at the sun longer without pain. Long-term damage is also caused by the effects of ultraviolet light, and can result in cataracts (cloudy spots on the eye lens), corneal sunburn and growths on the surface of the eye. This type of damage can be the result of a lifetime of sun exposure, and the effects usually don't show up until people are in their 50's or later. Long-term damage is harder to prevent, especially in people who spend a lot of time outside. The best prevention is to wear sunglasses that block UV light (both UVA and UVB).
August 20, 20179 yr Who knows? The average life expectancy wasn't much back then, and little data is available on that sort of specific thing. Which, of course, kills the argument you're trying to make that "it was good enough in the good-'ol days, so it should be good enough now." Like houses with lead paint and buildings with asbestos for insulation. Science is your friend, despite what some loony preachers might tell you. Science is your friend, but people aren't using it. The are locking their kids away, closing blinds, pregnant women aren't going outside, people are being a pets in doors. We've reverted back to the time in which eclipses were feared. It's really pretty simple. If you are going to look at the sun (Monday or any other day), where proper glasses or welding helmets. But, there are many other ways to see the eclipse without using glasses and where you don't even look at the sun. People should go outside and experience the event. Shadows will become strange. Wildlife will get quiet. It will get dark as dusk. If you block out the sun with your hand, you will see a planet on each side of it (Jupiter - left, Venus - right). You will notice a temperature difference. But instead, let's lock our kids up and shut the blinds. Craziness, I tell ya.
August 20, 20179 yr Science is your friend, but people aren't using it. The are locking their kids away, closing blinds, pregnant women aren't going outside, people are being a pets in doors. We've reverted back to the time in which eclipses were feared. It's really pretty simple. If you are going to look at the sun (Monday or any other day), where proper glasses or welding helmets. But, there are many other ways to see the eclipse without using glasses and where you don't even look at the sun. People should go outside and experience the event. Shadows will become strange. Wildlife will get quiet. It will get dark as dusk. If you block out the sun with your hand, you will see a planet on each side of it (Jupiter - left, Venus - right). You will notice a temperature difference. But instead, let's lock our kids up and shut the blinds. Craziness, I tell ya. :lol2: I'm guessing there's at least a few preachers out there telling their flock this is the "end of times" they've been waiting for.
August 20, 20179 yr Science is your friend, but people aren't using it. The are locking their kids away, closing blinds, pregnant women aren't going outside, people are being a pets in doors. We've reverted back to the time in which eclipses were feared. It's really pretty simple. If you are going to look at the sun (Monday or any other day), where proper glasses or welding helmets. But, there are many other ways to see the eclipse without using glasses and where you don't even look at the sun. People should go outside and experience the event. Shadows will become strange. Wildlife will get quiet. It will get dark as dusk. If you block out the sun with your hand, you will see a planet on each side of it (Jupiter - left, Venus - right). You will notice a temperature difference. But instead, let's lock our kids up and shut the blinds. Craziness, I tell ya. Such an important post. Sad when folks give more attention to superstitions rather than science.
August 20, 20179 yr Such an important post. Sad when folks give more attention to superstitions rather than science. I have a great book of Ky folklore, just random stuff that folklorists recorded people saying about day-to-day life things. Along those lines, here's one: "If your baby sees its reflection in the mirror before it is 1 year old, it will die before that year ends."
August 20, 20179 yr :lol2: I'm guessing there's at least a few preachers out there telling their flock this is the "end of times" they've been waiting for. Total eclipses, comets, meteor showers, etc... always provide the crazies with a forum to scare people with their "end of times" prognostications.
August 20, 20179 yr Total eclipses, comets, meteor showers, etc... always provide the crazies with a forum to scare people with their "end of times" prognostications. Who is our times' William Miller?
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