Eye Doctor Reminds People That Eclipse Glasses Are Necessary, Not Just Recommended
The countdown to Erie's total solar eclipse is in it's final week - meaning now's the time to find a pair of ISO certified eclipse glasses for the big day.
Ophthalmologist David Almeida says they're not just a suggestion, they're a necessity.
"Safety is paramount," said David Almeida, an Ophthalmologist at Erie Retina Research.
"This is a dangerous event, the last solar events in the USA was a relatively safe one, so we're hoping for the same aspect. And you can do that really by doing two critical things. One, have the safety glasses with you; and two, avoid looking directly at the sun at the eclipse without those glasses. Fairly simple."
Almeida says after the last solar eclipse that his office saw, he did have a few patients come in the following day.
"If I remember correctly, there were two [patients]," continued Almeida. "So we'll be open on Tuesday April 9th if there's any problems out there."
So how can people make sure their eyes are protected on April 8th?
"So the NASA ISO standard should be printed on there, if it's not printed on there you may be exposed to it," said Almeida.
"And because that would actually burn your retina, that's something called solar retinopathy, that's irreversible vision loss. It affects the center of the vision so it could be quite critical. Solar retinopathy is basically a blinding of the central vision, so you'll be blind. So it doesn't take much more than a few seconds, it's irreversible. So you could literally go from having perfect vision in both eyes, to having no central vision in both eyes."
Alemida says while they're certainly hoping that no one will have to come in following the eclipse, like last time, they're ready to help anyone who needs it.
Their office is located at 300 State St. in Suite 302.