YOU'RE WATCHING MINNESOTA'S
MOST WATCHED STATION.
THIS IS WCCO4 NEWS.
EVEN THOUGH WE WON'T SEE A
TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE IN
MINNESOTA, WE'LL STILL GET TO
SEE A PARTIAL ECLIPSE.
WHILE THE FIRST COAST TO COAST
SOLAR ECLIPSE IN THE U.S. 99
YEARS IS CERTAINLY A MOMENT TO
WITNESS.
HEALTH OFFICIALS ARE WARNING TO
PEOPLE TO BE CAREFUL ABOUT HOW
THEY WATCH IT.
A LOCAL OPHTHALMOLOGIST BASED
IN EDINA AND YOU'RE HERE TO
DISCUSS SOME OF THE DANGERS.
WE'RE LOOKING AT ABOUT 86%
HERE.
NOT A FULL ECLIPSE.
THAT'S CORRECT.
WHY IN THE WORLD EITHER WAY
WOULD IT BE DANGEROUS, FULL OR
PARTIAL ECLIPSE?
WELL, LOOKING DIRECTLY AT
THE SUN'S RAYS CAN CAUSE
IRREVERSIBLE DAMAGE BECAUSE IT
BURNS THE RETINA.
UNFORTUNATELY, THAT'S
UNTREATABLE.
ANY EXPOSURE TO THE SUN IS
DANGEROUS.
SOME PEOPLE ARE THINKING WE
DON'T HAVE THE FULL ECLIPSE
LIKE THEY HAVE IN OTHER PARTS
OF THE COUNTRY, OREGON, SOUTH
CAROLINA.
IS IT A BIG DEAL FOR US STILL?
DEFINITELY.
DEFINITELY BECAUSE WE'RE
GETTING ACTUALLY MORE EXPOSURE
WITHOUT THE TOTAL ECLIPSE,
YOU'RE GETTING EXPOSED TO THE
DIRECT SUN RAYS.
THAT'S INTERESTING.
TELL ME A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT
THAT.
WE'RE ACTUALLY GETTING MORE.
WELL, THE TOTAL ECLIPSE IS
WHEN THE MOON GETS IN THE WAY
OF THE SUN AND US AND SO WHEN
IT'S A PARTIAL ECLIPSE, THE
SUN'S RAYS ARE STILL COMING
AROUND THE MOON, SO WE ARE
GETTING DIRECT EXPOSURE TO IT.
ANY DIRECT VIEWING OF THE SUN
CAN BURN OUR RETINAS.
USUALLY, THAT'S QUITE
UNCOMFORTABLE, BUT IF WE HAVE
SOME -- THE DANGER IS THAT WHEN
YOU HAVE THE MOON PARTIALLY
BLOCKING IT, YOU CAN ACTUALLY
LOOK AT IT WITH A LITTLE MORE
COMFORT, BUT YOUR EYES ARE
STILL GETTING BURNED.
IS THAT SOMETHING YOU WOULD
FEEL HAPPENING?
YOU WOULDN'T FEEL ANYTHING.
IT'S PAINLESS AND -- BUT THEN
YOU CAN HAVE IRREVERSIBLE
THAT.
IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT THAT
THE PUBLIC BE AWARE OF THIS.
YOU NEED TO WEAR
PROPERPROTECTION FOR THIS AND
THAT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
REGULAR SUNGLASSES WILL NOT
WORK.
YEAH, A LOT OF PEOPLE SAY,
HEY, I'LL PUT TWO PAIRS OF
ZAPSES ON OR -- SUNGLASSES ON
OR I'LL TAKE A QUICK PEEK.
ANY OF THOSE WORK?
NONE OF THOSE WORK NO MATTER
HOW DARK YOUR SUNGLASSES HOW
MUCH YOU SPENT ON THEM.
YOU HAVE TO HAVE SPECIAL SOLAR
ECLIPSE GLASSES THAT ARE
MEETING AN INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD.
WE HAVE SOME RIGHT HERE.
YES.
SOME EXAMPLES.
THESE ARE JUST SIMPLE PAPER,
BUT THEY MAKE THAT BIG OF A
DIFFERENCE?
YES, THEY HAVE TO MEET AN
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD AND YOU
HAVE TO BE CAREFUL THAT YOU GOT
ONES BECAUSE THERE ARE A LOT OF
SCAMMERS OUT THERE.
THEY'RE VERY INEXPENSIVE.
THERE'S A STANDARD CALLED
ISO12312-2.
THESE MEET THE STANDARDS
RIGHT HERE THESE ONES WE HAVE
RIGHT HERE.
AND YOU CAN CHECK YOURS ON
THE WEB SITE OF THE AMERICAN
ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY THAT HAS
ALL THE INFORMATION ON
SORRY.
EYE WRAIR -- EYEWEAR.
ABSOLUTELY.
IT IS INTERESTING THEY CAN DO
SO MUCH.
WHAT ARE THEY DISMOG -- DOING?
THEY HAVE A POLYMER IN THERE
THAT BLOCKS OUT THE SUN'S RAYS
TO GIVE YOU ENOUGH PROTECTION
FOR YOUR EYES AND IT'S
IMPORTANT TO INSPECT THEM TO
MAKE SURE THEY ARE NOT
SCRATCHED, DAMAGED AND FIT
PROPERLY.
IF THEY ARE TOO SMALL OR BIG,
THAT CAN CAUSE PROBLEMS IF YOUR
EYE GOES AROUND THAT.
IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE
THAT PROTECTION.
THE OTHER THING TO KEEP IN MIND
IS THAT IF YOU TRY TO WEAR
THESE AND LOOK THROUGH A
BINOCULARS OR CAMERA, THAT'S
STILL DANGEROUS BECAUSE THOSE
LENSES HIGHLY MAGNIFY THE IMAGE
OF THE SUN AND CAN PENETRATE
THROUGH THIS.
SO, IT'S -- UNLESS YOUR CAMERA
OR BINOCULARS OR TELESCOPE IS
EQUIPPED WITH A SPECIAL SOLAR
FILTER AS WELL, YOU ARE AT RISK
FOR DAMAGING YOUR EYES EVEN
WITH THESE GLASSES.
WE KEEP HEARING STORIES POP
OUT OVER THE PAST FEW WEEKS
THAT PEOPLE WHO THREE DECADES
LATER STILL HAVE THE PROBLEMS
FROM THE LAST TIME WE HAD AN
ECLIPSE.
THIS IS REALLY PERMANENT THING.
IT IS A PERMANENT THING.
UNFORTUNATELY, THERE'S NOT ANY
TREATMENT FOR IT.
THE BEST IS PREVENTION AND
FOLLOWING THESE GUIDELINES.
THESE ARE REALLY IMPORTANT.
VERY IMPORTANT.
IT'S IMPORTANT ALSO TO KEEP IN
MIND THAT YOU NEED TO KEEP THEM
ON FULLY UNTIL YOU MOVE AWAY
FROM LOOKING AT THE SUN.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL SOMETIMES
LOOK AND THEN TAKE THEM OFF AS
THEY ARE GLANCING AWAY AND YOU
CAN'T DO THAT.
YOU HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF
CHILDREN TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY
ARE WEARING THEM PROPERLY.
SO, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN EXCITING
EVENT, BUT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT
TO BE PREPARED.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, DOCTOR.
VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION.
WE APPRECIATE THAT SO MUCH AND
WE HAVE SOME VERY IMPORTANT
INFORMATION ON OUR WEB SITE.
WE'VE GOT A FULL LIST OF