People will be gathering to watch the total solar eclipse all over Erie. As spectators witness the moon moving in to block the sun, a local optometrist Dr. Robert Haverly said it's essential to wear proper eye protection so there's no permanent solar damage. 

“People are looking at the moon and the sun for the eclipse obviously, and unfortunately that's not treatable, there's not a good treatment for that,” Haverly said. 

Eclipse glasses use solar filters to reduce the light from the sun. Haverly said you want to make sure your eclipse glasses are damage free.

“You have to, number one, make sure they're ISO certified and number two, they don't have any scratches or blemishes on them. If you see a scratch or blemish, they could still have some damage to your eye,” Haverly said. 

Also, Haverly said normal sunglasses do not have the same effect, and viewing through an unfiltered phone and telescope are not safe ways to view the eclipse. 

“There are a lot of misconceptions about what you should and shouldn't do during the eclipse. The first thing is normal sunglasses won't work. You have to have ISO certified sunglasses, and the other misconception is some people think if looked through a telescope or a camera that they're safe, but you actually do need special filter on your camera and telescope. Sometimes it's even worse looking through a telescope or a camera because it magnifies and intensifies the light on the retina so you don't want to use that without a filter,” Haverly said.