I had a very diverting interview recently with Steve Tollestrup, the outgoing executive director of the Tear Fund aid organisation. At the end of our meeting, he asked me if I wanted to see something amazing. "Of course," I said, wondering what I was getting myself into. We raced outside the cafe, where his car was parked. He got out some odd-looking glasses and pointed up at the sky. It's the eclipse, he said in excitement. The member of the Auckland Astronomical Society had not only me but the whole cafe out looking through his special glasses at the natural phenomenon, bless him.
Of course most people know that you should never look directly at the sun.
According to Melissa Hay, director and optometrist at Visique, if we look directly at the sun during an eclipse without protection, the solar light is so focused it can scar or damage the retina. She doesn't recommend doing it in non-eclipse situations either. Ultra-violet exposure can injure the protective layer on the front of the eye and cause conditions such as macular degeneration, cataracts and pterygium.
As with your skin, the most harm to your eyes - 80 per cent - happens in the first 18 years of your life. I am blue eyed and fair skinned and don't think I started wearing sunglasses until university, so I'm stuffed.