As solar eclipse day approaches, more than 300 million people in the United States potentially could directly view the total solar eclipse, a Beaumont optometrist tells us that this natural phenomenon can be pretty dangerous to the eye sight.
"It's really a neat scientific phenomenon," says Dr. Peter Cass, who practices at Family Eye Care & Optical.
"Everyone needs to know that even tho the moon will pass in front of the sun, there's only a very brief time where you can actually look at the total eclipse," He explains.
On August 21st, thousands of eyes across the nation will look up to the sky for "The Great American Solar Eclipse"
This natural phenomenon can be blinding.
"If it's not a 100 percent eclipse, It's not safe to look at," Dr. Cass explains.
But even along the path of totality, the only time you can see the eclipse with the naked eye is the moment the moon fully covers the sun.
"It'll burn your retina," Dr. Cass says.
"You can get a solar burn and have permanent scarring in the back of your eye," he explains.
He says that eye protection like solar eclipse glasses is a major requirement to avoid vision damage.
"There's a simple technique where you make a grid with your hands and you can watch the solar eclipse on the ground, it's much more safely than staring at it," He explains.
So before the big day, it's always best to get prepared.
"You can have some permanent vision loss from this," he says.
About 70% of the sun will be covered in Southeast, Texas.
More than 6,800 public libraries across the nation are distributing the safety-certified glasses, CLICK HERE to find a library near you.
NASA will be live streaming the solar eclipse in the video like bellow:
