State health department offers safety tips for Aug. 21 solar eclipse; cautions to not look directly at it without eye protection

In an eclipse, the moon shadows part of Earth.

The Kentucky Department of Public Health is warning the public to not look directly at the solar eclipse without proper eye protection.

“Looking at an eclipse without proper eye protection can cause permanent and irreversible eye damage, including blindness” Health Commissioner Hiram C. Polk Jr. said in a news release. “We encourage everyone to enjoy this special celestial event, but urge the public not to look directly at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun without special-purpose solar filters such as eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers.”

This long awaited celestial event Polk is talking about will happen Monday, Aug 21. While Hopkinsville, Paducah and the Land between the Lakes are in the 70-mile path of totality, all of Kentucky will be able to see a "deep partial eclipse." Totality will last less than three minutes, but the sun will be partially obscured for more than two hours. Online interactive maps and guides give the times; one is https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/7/25/16019892/solar-eclipse-2017-interactive-map.

State officials offers tips on how to safely view a solar eclipse and avoid permanent eye damage:

• Only use eclipse glasses or handheld solar viewers that meet the International Organization for Standardization international standards.
• Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the sun.
• Telescopes with solar filters on the large end can be used, but older telescopes that have small solar filters that attach to the eyepiece are not safe.
• It is safe to use pinhole projectors and other projection techniques that offer indirect viewing of the eclipse. These can be made with paper or cardstock.
• Do not look at the eclipse through an unfiltered camera, telescope, binoculars or other optical device.
• Do not look at the sun through a camera, telescope, binoculars or any other optical device while using your eclipses glasses or handheld solar viewer. The concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eye(s), causing serious injury.
• Seek expert advice before using a solar filter with a camera, telescope, binoculars or any other optical device.

The state health department also offers safety tips for those who will be spending the day outdoors while waiting on the eclipse, including: stay hydrated and drink plenty of water; avoid drinking alcohol, which causes you to lose fluid; wear light colored, loose fitting clothes and a hat; apply and reapply sunscreen throughout the day with at at least a SPF 15 rating; use an Environmental Protection Agency-registered insect repellent, and keep your hands washed to avoid spreading germs.

State health officials will deploy portable medical tents at an upcoming eclipse event in Hopkinsville and all food vendors in the region will be inspected, says the release.

Click here for a link to the state released video about eclipse eye safety. Click here for one directed toward children.