{"id":9938,"date":"2026-08-08T11:23:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/?p=9938"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:43:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:43:13","slug":"i-can-watch-a-solar-eclipse-with-sunglasses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/eye-doctors-advice\/i-can-watch-a-solar-eclipse-with-sunglasses\/","title":{"rendered":"I Can Watch a Solar Eclipse with Sunglasses?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ophthalmology Myth: \u201cI Can Watch a Solar Eclipse with Sunglasses\u201d<\/h2>\n

FALSE. And it may cause permanent damage to your vision.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Whenever a solar eclipse occurs, many people try to observe it directly. A common misconception is that dark sunglasses provide enough protection, but this is far from the truth.<\/p>\n

Sunglasses, even high-quality ones, are not designed to protect the retina from the enormous amount of energy emitted by the Sun<\/strong>. They reduce glare but still allow enough harmful radiation to reach the eye and potentially cause irreversible damage to the macula, the area responsible for our sharpest vision.<\/p>\n

What can happen?<\/h3>\n

Looking directly at the Sun during a solar eclipse can cause solar retinopathy<\/strong>, a retinal injury produced by the phototoxic effect of sunlight on the photoreceptors and the retinal pigment epithelium.<\/p>\n

Symptoms usually appear several hours after exposure and may include:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Blurred vision.<\/li>\n
  • A dark or grey spot in the centre of vision.<\/li>\n
  • Distorted straight lines.<\/li>\n
  • Difficulty reading or recognising faces.<\/li>\n
  • Reduced contrast sensitivity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Although some patients recover over time, others may suffer permanent visual impairment<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    How can you safely observe a solar eclipse?<\/h3>\n

    \"OK\"\u00a0Use only eclipse glasses certified according to the ISO 12312-2 international standard.<\/p>\n

    \"OK\"\u00a0Observe the eclipse indirectly using a pinhole projector or a telescope fitted with a certified solar filter placed in front of the objective lens.<\/p>\n

    \"NO\"\u00a0Never use:<\/p>\n

      \n
    • Sunglasses.<\/li>\n
    • X-ray films.<\/li>\n
    • Smoked glass.<\/li>\n
    • CDs or DVDs.<\/li>\n
    • Standard photographic filters.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      The most important message<\/strong><\/p>\n

      If your sunglasses are suitable for driving on a sunny day, they are NOT suitable for looking at a solar eclipse.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      The retina has no pain receptors. You may be damaging your vision without feeling anything until several hours later.<\/p>\n

      Protecting your eyes for just a few minutes can prevent a lifetime of visual damage.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

       <\/p>\n

      \n

      Medical review<\/h2>\n

      Reviewed by Dr. Antonio Soler Garc\u00eda<\/strong>, Medical Director at SolEyes Fuengirola.
      \nMedical license number:<\/strong> 292907906.
      \nLast updated:<\/strong> 2026-08-08.<\/p>\n

      Important notice<\/h3>\n

      This content is for informational purposes only and does not replace professional medical advice.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Ophthalmology Myth: \u201cI Can Watch a Solar Eclipse with Sunglasses\u201d FALSE. And it may cause permanent damage to your vision.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9937,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_joinchat":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[154],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9938","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eye-doctors-advice"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9938","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9938"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9938\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9947,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9938\/revisions\/9947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9937"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9938"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9938"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/soleyes.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9938"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}