Monday, April 8, 2024, total solar eclipse will cross North America, passing over Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
The duration of totality will be up to 4 minutes and 27 seconds, almost double that of The Great American Eclipse of August 21, 2017. The 2017 total solar eclipse was witnessed by about 20 million people from Oregon to South Carolina, and the upcoming 2024 Great American Eclipse is sure to be witnessed by many millions more.
Michael Schecter:
As an Optometrist , I want to express concern that I have about the solar eclipse on Monday, Aug 21. There are serious risks associated with viewing a solar eclipse directly, even with the use of solar filter glasses. Everyone should keep in mind if they or their children are considering this.
We have to keep in mind that some people will encounter the inability to control every aspect of this exercise. For instance, true solar eclipse glasses are made for adults, do not fit children well and should not be used without direct parental supervision. If the solar glasses do not filter out 100% of the harmful UV rays, if they are not used absolutely perfectly, or should there be a manufacturing defect in any of them, this will result in permanent and irreversible vision loss for any eye exposed. Just like sunburn to the skin, the effects are not felt or noticed immediately. I have a great fear that I will have patients in my office on Tuesday, Aug 22 who woke up with hazy, blurry vision that I cannot fix. It is a huge risk to watch the eclipse even with the use of solar glasses. There is no absolutely safe way to do so other than on TV.
The biggest danger with children is ensuring proper use without direct parental supervision. As the eclipse passes over many places, the moon will not block 100% of the sun. Because so much of its light is blocked by the moon, if one looks at it without full protection, it does not cause pain as looking at the sun does on a regular day. Normally if you try to look at the sun, it physically hurts and you can’t see anything. During an eclipse, however, it is easier to stare for a bit….and even less than 30 seconds of exposure to a partially eclipsed sun, you can burn a blind spot right to your most precious central vision. With solar glasses you can’t see ANYTHING except the crescent of light of the sun. Kids could have a tendency to want to peak [sic] around the filter to see what is actually going on up there. One failure, just one, where education and supervision fail, will have such a devastating consequence.
Please, please be safe. Watch it on television.
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Stella's Place 
I remember when we had a total eclipse while I was in elementary school. This would have been 1979. There were general warnings about not looking directly at it, and instructions on how to make a pin hole box to watch it indirectly (I made one, and it worked), plus welder’s glass (replacement glass for the helmets) became available all over the place.
I don’t remember everyone making this big of a deal about it, though. It was exciting and all, but that’s about it.
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I rather agree with you. Everything is a big deal these days. Internet effect, do you think? 24-hour news cycle? A need to have something to talk about?
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In addition to the risk of losing your vision, apparently, media is losing its mind all up and down the path of the eclipse and warning people to gas up, stock up, and essentially be ready for some sort of apocalypse. Fear p*rn of the worst kind. Also, more than a few theories about our deal leaders pulling some kind of stunt.
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Now the weatherman is saying it may be cloudy next Monday in Texas, where I’m going. Hysteria, rending of clothes, etc.
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Stormy and raining here – that Monday and Tuesday, both.
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It started out cloudy this morning, but it’s sunny now. Mornin’ Wee!
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Better to be safe than sorry, IMHO. Pinhole cameras work great–I made one for the last eclipse, and enjoyed the fruits of my handiwork!
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Try a colander, the plastic kind with round holes in the bottom, ovr a white paper. You get multiple shadow shapes like on the pinhole camera, and can adjust the size by moving it farther away from the paper. Another fun thing to do is place a white sheet on the ground and watch for the shadow waves on it. .
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Fun! I think I’m too far away from the path of the eclipse for that this time, but shall remember it!
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