HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — If you haven't heard, this Monday is expected to be pretty historic with a total solar eclipse turning day into night for many across the U.S. Another total solar eclipse like this isn't expected again until 2044.
For some, like Rachel Vanwynsberghe the solar eclipse is a big deal. "We are hosting a party. We're expecting 500 people to come. School is canceled. Works let out. We are ready to get together and look at stand around in the dark."
This also isn't quite the first rodeo for the Ohioan. "We watched the one in 2017, we but we didn't have eyewear. We just got our welding helmets out of the barn so we could look at it through there."
But, this year she continued will be different. "The whole community and everyone has their glasses. they're warning us to have food and water and gas and to be extra prepared."
Professor of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Waterloo Ralph Chou shared that wearing solar eclipse glasses to protect your eyes when looking at the sun is key. "If you look at the sun unprotected, then, you know, if you stare at the sun with a sustained fixation for more than a few seconds, then it is possible for that very bright sun to create an injury at the back of the eye."
That's not all. It's also important to be aware of fake solar eclipse glasses that look real, but aren't. "They don't transmit or they don't block light. They're transmitting more light than they should."
Furthermore, reviewing the labeling of the product is the number one way to identify the real from the fake. "The inside surface of this particular solar eclipse glass has all sorts of text on it because the standard requires six different things to be included in the labeling of the product."