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How to protect your eyes during the Great American Solar Eclipse on April 8

A Memphis optometrist is urging people to heed the warnings and avoid looking directly at the eclipse without proper protection.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. —

Americans from Texas all the way to Maine will be able to see the total solar eclipse on Monday, April 8, 2024.

While the eclipse is highly anticipated across the country and here in the Mid-South, Dr. Gregory Wolfe with the Southern College of Optometry said it could be dangerous if you don't protect your eyes.

"Your retina is a seeing membrane you can't feel," Wolfe said. "You don't feel it burning your eye, but with enough time you'll be left with a black fuzzy spot in the center of your vision.”

Wolfe said the easiest way to protect your eyes is to put on a pair of these eclipse glasses.  

It's important though to make sure the glasses are International Organization for Standardization, or ISO certified.

"Make sure that you've bought your eclipse glasses from a reputable source," Wolfe said. "Regular sunglasses just aren't enough.”

If you aren't able to get a pair of eclipse glasses, there is still one way you can enjoy it without damaging your eyes.

"You would stand with your back towards the sun, shine a piece of paper or piece of cardboard with a thumbtack pinhole through it and it will project an image of the eclipse on the ground,” Wolfe said.

Wolfe said if you want to use binoculars or a telescope to watch the eclipse, you will need a special solar filter.

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