YOU GOT TO KEEP AN EYE ON THOSE KIDS SPEAKING OF KIDS EXCITEMENT FOR THE UPCOMING TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE ON APRIL 8TH CONTINUES TO BUILD. WE ARE LESS THAN TWO WEEKS AWAY NOW. WE WANT TO BRING IN FIELD METEOROLOGIST MICHAEL ARMSTRONG. BECAUSE, MICHAEL, YOU LOOKED INTO A DANGER. IT CAN REALLY CATCH PEOPLE OFF GUARD AND CHILDREN ARE PARTICULARLY AT RISK HERE. AND THAT DEFINITELY GOT MY ATTENTION AS I DID THIS STORY. SO THIS ECLIPSE WILL BE SO MUCH FUN FOR SO MANY OF US. YES, BUT THE RISK OF EYE DAMAGE IS SIGNIFICANT. I’M GOING TO SHOW YOU WHY IT MIGHT BE EASIER THAN YOU THINK TO UNDERESTIMATE THE RISK. IT’S SO HYPER INTENSIVE. FOCUS ON A VERY DELICATE PART OF THE EYE. DOCTOR MATT BROOKS, OPTOMETRY AT INNOVATIVE EYE CARE, HAS 17 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, BUT SINCE 2017, HE HAS BEEN WITNESSING SOMETHING HE HAD ONLY SEEN IN A TEXTBOOK. I ASKED HIM ABOUT LASERS AND THEN I SAID, HEY, BY CHANCE, DID YOU WATCH THE ECLIPSE BACK IN OCTOBER? AND HE SAID HE HAD. AND I SAID, DID YOU HAVE ANY SUNGLASSES OR THE APPROPRIATE GLASSES? AND HE SAID HE DID NOT. A 13 YEAR OLD BOY NOW HAS A VISION ISSUE. AND THE NEWS MATT HAD TO DELIVER WAS TOUGH. YOU KNOW, JUST JUST TALKED WITH HIM AND HIS MOM. AND THANKFULLY FOR HIS CASE, IT WAS ONLY ONE EYE INSTEAD OF BOTH. BUT MOST LIKELY THAT’S A PRETTY PERMANENT CHANGE TO HIS RETINA. MATT TOLD ME THAT THERE IS NO CURE, AT LEAST NOT RIGHT NOW. FOR THIS DAMAGE. HE SHOWED ME HOW IT HAPPENS. OBVIOUSLY, THE ECLIPSE SITUATION IS WORSE BECAUSE IT’S NOT QUITE AS BRIGHT, SO WE CAN LOOK AT IT A LITTLE LONGER AND THAT’S WHERE THE DAMAGE IS MORE LIKELY TO OCCUR. SOLAR GLASSES ARE THE ANSWER, BUT THE PROBLEM IS WE DON’T SENSE THE DANGER QUICK ENOUGH BECAUSE THE SUN SEEMS DARKER AND THE RISK IS PARTICULARLY HIGH FOR CHILDREN. THEY’RE PROBABLY THE ONES THAT ARE MORE LIKELY TO NOT BE AWARE OR NOT CARE, OR NOT BE AS SENSITIVE OR WHATEVER, BUT THEY’RE MORE LIKELY TO GET THAT DAMAGE. AND REMEMBER, IT ONLY TAKES. 2 OR 3 SECONDS FOR THIS DAMAGE TO OCCUR. THAT IS NOT MUCH THE WAY YOU CAN KNOW YOUR SOLAR GLASSES ARE SAFE. IS A LABEL ON THEM THAT SAYS ISO OR ISO AND ALSO ON THE INSIDE OF THE FRAMES, THERE’S A SET OF NUMBERS THAT READS ONE, TWO, THREE, ONE, TWO, TWO, DASH TWO. I’M SO EXCITED ABOUT THE ECLIPSE, BUT I WANT ALL OF US TO
Looking directly at the solar eclipse can cause permanent eye damage, optometrist says
The risk is particularly high for children
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Updated: 9:42 AM CDT Mar 28, 2024
The upcoming solar eclipse will be a fun experience for many in Oklahoma, but it can also bring risks to those who aren't prepared. | MORE | Solar Eclipse in Oklahoma: Everything to know, where to see it and how to view itParts of Oklahoma are in the solar eclipse's path of totality, and many visitors will flock to the state to experience the phenomenon that won't happen again for another 20 years. But witnessing the eclipse brings a risk of eye damage that many can underestimate. "It's so hyper-intensive focused on a very delicate part of the eye," said Matt Brooks, an optometrist at Innovative Eyecare. Brooks has 17 years of experience. But since 2017, he has been witnessing something once only seen in textbooks. "I asked him about lasers, and then I said, 'Hey, by chance, did you watch the eclipse back in October?' And he said he had, and I said, 'Did you have the appropriate glasses?' And he said he did not," Brooks said about a patient. A 13-year-old boy now has problems with his vision, and the news that the doctor had to deliver was tough. "You know, just talk with him and his mom, and thankfully for his case, it was only one eye instead of both. But, most likely, that's a pretty permanent change to his retina," Brooks said. The optometrist said there is currently no cure for the damage. "Obviously, the eclipse situation is worse, because it's not quite as bright. So we can look at it a little longer, and that's where the damage is more likely to occur," Brooks said. Solar glasses are the answer to staying safe. For many, the problem is not sensing the danger quickly enough, because the sun seems darker. The risk is particularly high for children. It only takes two or three seconds for the damage to occur. To make sure glasses are safe, make sure the label says "ISO" on the inside of the frames and has a set of numbers that read "12312-2." Top Headlines Nex Benedict Autopsy: Oklahoma ME releases full report on death Oklahoma could see snow amid colder, mixed showers on Wednesday A single ticket matched all the numbers needed to win the Mega Millions jackpot Enid city commissioner answers questions on white nationalist ties Is seeing the solar eclipse's path of totality worth the trip? Baltimore bridge collapse: Minute-by-minute breakdown
The upcoming solar eclipse will be a fun experience for many in Oklahoma, but it can also bring risks to those who aren't prepared.
| MORE | Solar Eclipse in Oklahoma: Everything to know, where to see it and how to view it
Parts of Oklahoma are in the solar eclipse's path of totality, and many visitors will flock to the state to experience the phenomenon that won't happen again for another 20 years. But witnessing the eclipse brings a risk of eye damage that many can underestimate.
"It's so hyper-intensive focused on a very delicate part of the eye," said Matt Brooks, an optometrist at Innovative Eyecare.
Brooks has 17 years of experience. But since 2017, he has been witnessing something once only seen in textbooks.
"I asked him about lasers, and then I said, 'Hey, by chance, did you watch the eclipse back in October?' And he said he had, and I said, 'Did you have the appropriate glasses?' And he said he did not," Brooks said about a patient.
A 13-year-old boy now has problems with his vision, and the news that the doctor had to deliver was tough.
"You know, just talk with him and his mom, and thankfully for his case, it was only one eye instead of both. But, most likely, that's a pretty permanent change to his retina," Brooks said.
The optometrist said there is currently no cure for the damage.
"Obviously, the eclipse situation is worse, because it's not quite as bright. So we can look at it a little longer, and that's where the damage is more likely to occur," Brooks said.
Solar glasses are the answer to staying safe.
For many, the problem is not sensing the danger quickly enough, because the sun seems darker. The risk is particularly high for children.
It only takes two or three seconds for the damage to occur.
To make sure glasses are safe, make sure the label says "ISO" on the inside of the frames and has a set of numbers that read "12312-2."
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