Solar eclipse: I’m not in the path of totality — do I still need to wear eclipse glasses?

(NEXSTAR) — By now, you may already know that the U.S. will soon have the chance to see a stunning total solar eclipse. You may also already know if you are — or aren’t — in the path of totality. 

Those in the totality path will have a chance to see the sun totally obscured in the middle of the day on April 8 as the moon passes perfectly between us and the sun. However, only those within the path of totality — which stretches about 115 miles across and will move from Texas and into the Northeast — will be able to see the sun blocked out. 

If you don’t live within the path of totality, you still have a chance to see the moon partially block out the sun. 

This may bring you to another question — if you are outside the path of totality, do you actually need to wear those special eclipse glasses everyone is talking about? You’re not in the golden region of the solar eclipse, so does it matter? 

The short answer is yes, if you’re outside the path of totality, you’re going to want to wear eye protection before observing the eclipse. In fact, only those shrouded in the path of totality can go without eclipse glasses (but not the entire time). 

Let’s explain. 

We know the moon is going to block out the sun on April 8 during our first total solar eclipse since 2017. Those within a certain area will see the sun totally blocked, while for those outside that path, the sun will look like a sliver.

The eclipse itself will last several minutes. Experts have warned that everyone viewing the solar eclipse should wear proper eye protection before looking skyward. For those in the path of totality, the eye protection can come off for the two to four minutes when the moon completely blocks out the sun. But, as soon as the smallest sliver of the sun reappears, the eye protection needs to go back on. 

Why do you need eye protection?

You’ve likely been warned before not to stare at the sun because it can damage your eyes. The damage caused by looking at an eclipse without eye protection has earned its own name: eclipse blindness, or solar retinopathy. 

Dr. Andrew Neighbors, a Seattle-based optometrist, told Nexstar’s KXAN that this damage can heal over time, but it’s also possible it becomes permanent, as there is little that can be done to repair it.

“If you’ve ever seen a car headlight or something like that, it’s really bright, and then afterwards, you can kind of see the car headlight. It would be like that. It just wouldn’t go away,” Neighbors explained.

NASA says that viewing the sun during the eclipse without the proper protection “will instantly cause severe eye injury.”

“Anywhere that the retina was exposed to that level of energy, it can burn it permanently and hurt your rods and cones, which can give you bad central vision, distorted vision, and it can affect your color vision as well,” optometrist Dr. James Forde told Nexstar’s WSYR.

How to protect your eyes during the solar eclipse

In or out of the path of totality, you’ll need to wear (or use on your camera, binoculars, or telescope) solar filters to protect your eyes. 

Solar eclipse glasses, according to the American Optometric Association, are usually made of paper with a dark film that covers your eyes. That film should meet the international standard of ISO 12312-2. Experts say that code, as well as the authentic ISO certification label (seen below), need to be on any eclipse glasses you pick up to ensure your eyes are protected. 

Your glasses should also fit properly, come from a reputable manufacturer and vendor, and not have any defects to the film intended to protect your eyes.

Some places, like your local library and Warby Parker, may be giving away solar eclipse glasses ahead of April 8. 

The American Astronomical Society also notes that many major retailers — including Walmart, Kroger’s family of stores, Wegmans, Buc-ee’s, H-E-B, Menards, Lowes, Cracker Barrel, Meijer, and 7 Eleven — are selling ISO-compliant eclipse glasses or viewers. 

You can find more places to purchase solar eclipse glasses here. You can also find filters for your telescope, binoculars, or camera that will allow you to safely view the solar eclipse.

While eclipse glasses and solar viewers will protect your eyes as you look skyward, they will not protect you while you look through a camera lens, telescope, binoculars, or other optical devices: “The concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury,” NASA warns.

NASA also notes that your regular sunglasses, while dark, are not safe enough to view this solar eclipse. 

You can create your own eclipse viewing device. Speaking with Nexstar’s KRQE, Dr. Robert Avery, professor of ophthalmology at the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences at the UNM School of Medicine, suggested people make a pinhole projector that allows “the sun’s image to be indirectly projected onto a piece of cardboard or, or paper so that you can view the eclipse indirectly without staring directly at the sun,” he said. NASA’s video tutorial on how to make a pinhole projector can be found by clicking here.

The total solar eclipse will take place on April 8. You can view this map to determine what you’ll be able to see and when you’ll get to see it.