In 1962, Lou Tomososki witnessed a partial eclipse while walking home from school with a friend. A science teacher had told them about the show earlier that day, but when the two stopped to watch the eclipse, they weren’t prepared for what they were going to experience next.
Their teacher had told them to use a suitable device to watch this phenomenon, but they ignored him. The eye damage was permanent .
Cautions
The total solar eclipse can only be seen from the United States on August 21, when the shadow of the Moon will cause it to be completely dark for a few minutes. However, if we cannot travel there, in the rest of the American continent, including part of South America, Europe and Africa, a partial eclipse will be seen: the Moon will hide a fraction of the Sun.
When Tomosoki looked at the eclipse without sun protection, he began to experience what he described as sparkles , similar to what you see when you take a photograph. His right eye was damaged. Tomososki learned that his retina had been burned in the few seconds of observing the eclipse, condemning him to a permanent blind spot that has not improved since.
That said, if we want to enjoy tomorrow’s eclipse, we have to be cautious. For example, avoid the "solar eclipse sunglasses" scam , which has been a plague on the Internet. Because if there is one thing we can learn from Tomososki, it is that a few incredible minutes are not worth it if the tribute to pay is permanent vision impairment .