Insider Blog: Safely viewing the upcoming eclipse

It's a hard temptation to resist when scientists say to avoid looking at a rare natural phenomenon. But if you want to keep viewing wonderful acts of nature, you need to protect your eyes during an eclipse. You should NEVER look at the sun directly, even when the moon is fully covering it.

Even in areas that will experience totality with the upcoming eclipse, like the Missouri bootheel, the amount of solar radiation coming in is dangerous for your eyes. It's estimated that around 100 people of the 150 million Americans who viewed the 2017 total eclipse suffered some form of eye damage. To prevent this for everyone this year you should make sure to stay protected.

Only look at the eclipse with verified filtered sunglasses made for viewing these events. While there are numerous places to choose from, filtered glasses must meet a standard to be safe for your eyes. You should notice an ISO logo and description on the bands of eclipse sunglasses. Look specifically for the ISO 12312-2 certification (sometimes written as 12312-2:2015) that indicates the required protection. These glasses can be found at most major retailers and hardware stores, or even at some convenience stores.