Ways to protect your eyes for the Eclipse

With the Eclipse a few weeks away, a lot of questions about eye care are coming up. Some think that because the sun will be covered it's okay to look at it. However you can still damage your eyes that way.

Dr. Piwonka a retina specialist with the Cheyenne Eye Clinic stopped by and explained why you should wear eye protection during the eclipse. As it is now if you look at the sun the cells behind your retina become damaged. If you look at the sun briefly there is a way they can heal themselves, but a long period of time can leave you blind.

That holds true with the Eclipse, even though the sun will be 99 percent covered in Cheyenne, the little sliver of beaming out of coverage is still so bright it will still cause the burn on the back of your eye.

If you are planning on going to view the eclipse, either in the prime spots or in your backyard it's ideal that you get Eclipse Viewing Glasses. They have a solar filter imbedded in them to make viewing the sun safer. You will want to make sure you have these on during any part of the eclipse.

Many people will be selling the Eclipse Viewing Glasses however, you want to make sure you get them from a reputable source. There are four main distributors in the U.S. approved by the American Academy of Ophthalmology. A list of the distributors are on the Cheyenne Eye Clinic website.

You can purchase a pair of Eclipse Viewing Glasses at the Cheyenne Eye Clinic for just $5.

For more information and to find out if you can take a picture of the eclipse with your smartphone check out the interview from the morning show.