By REVIS BLAYLOCK
NEA Town Courier
Husband and wife optometrists, Dr. Evan Button and Dr. Jennifer Button, with Family Eyecare in Blytheville, expressed the importance of eye safety and shared tips for viewing the April 8 solar eclipse.
Dr. Evan Button encourages everyone to wear approved solar eclipse viewers that block out the UV Light.
Regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, will not protect the eyes. He pointed out it is never good to look directly at the sun with sunglasses or bare eyes. It can cause a severe solar burn.
The solar eclipse glasses are available at their office as well as other places. They can also be ordered online but everyone should make sure they meet all the transition regulations for direct observation. Genuine eclipse glasses must meet the ISO 12312-2 safety standard for safe eclipse viewing.
Both doctors remind people of the dangers of looking directly in the sun which can cause solar retinopathy. The damage can happen in a matter of seconds. As the solar eclipse is a huge event, eye safety should be the priority. If anyone suspects they have damage they should see an eye doctor immediately.
Dr. Jennifer said “the sooner, the better.”
Some common symptoms include loss of central vision, distorted vision and altered color vision.
During the eclipse, viewers should stand still and cover their eyes with eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up. After viewing, turn away and remove your glasses or viewer — do not remove them while looking at the sun. If you normally wear eyeglasses, wear your eclipse glasses over them, or hold your handheld viewer in front of them.