ROANOKE, Va. – Everyone is gearing up to catch a glimpse of the long-awaited eclipse — but if you’re not careful, it could cause some serious eye problems.
“The biggest fear of looking at the sun during the eclipse is the amount of radiation coming through,” Dr. Vishak John said.
10 News met up with Dr. Vishak John who’s a retina surgeon at Vistar Eye Center.
He tells us he’s seen firsthand the damage staring at an eclipse can do.
“When we had our last eclipse in 2017, we had two or three patients in the next month who we diagnosed with having this problem,” John said.
The problem he’s talking about? Eclipse retinopathy — that causes permanent damage to your retina.
“The retina is the place just like the film in a camera, where the light hits and it gets processed into information and the retina is what makes that information and takes it back to the brain so we can see,” John said.
John tells us there was a common denominator between all of his patients who experienced vision damage.
“When we talked to the patients, they did not wear eye protection,” he said.
He said even if it’s cloudy — you have to wear approved eclipse glasses, and if you have kids around, make sure they have them on.
“With kids, it’s just hard to make sure they’re wearing the glasses properly,” he said.
Many schools in the area are taking precautions to keep your kids’ eyes safe during the eclipse at school.
Salem, Giles, and Montgomery County all purchased glasses for all students and staff.
While schools like Roanoke City, Alleghany, and Floyd are releasing early, so kids won’t be released during the height of the eclipse.
John tells us if you do experience vision problems afterward, you should see an optometrist immediately.
“It’s very very important to get in with a good eye doctor. An optometrist, an ophthalmologist that can start that diagnosis,” he said.