Solar Eclipse 2017: Read this before looking at the sun

Viewers of the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse will want to make sure they use special glasses to prevent blindness.

“You want to use proper eye protection,” said Dr. James Bierly, an optometrist at Just 4 Eyes Eye Care in Centerville. “It’s an aluminized mylar that you should be using.”

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Alumnized mylar glasses are available for viewing the eclipse. Without the glasses, damage to the retina can occur. Such damage — known as “eclipse blindness” — can be permanent.

The glasses are available in local stores, at the Boonshoft Museum of Discovery and some libraries.

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“We have a number of hands-on activities for all ages inside the building, and then we’ll have viewing activities outside the building,” said Jason Heaton, of the Boonshoft Museum. “In the case that it’s not clear that day, we’ll have web cams from around the country watching the eclipse that way, too.”

Bierly said parents should be mindful that kids might be tempted to look up at the eclipse without glasses.

“Try to watch your kids,” the doctor said.

Dubbed “The Great American Eclipse,” the celestial event will be visible in Dayton starting at 1:02 p.m. and will reach its maximum coverage, nearly 90 percent, at 2:28 p.m.

For more local information about the eclipse, watch Bierly, Heaton and Lisa Weiss of the Miami Valley Astronomical Society on WHIO Reports with Jim Otte at 11:30 a.m., Sunday, August 13 on Channel 7.

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