PM Modi Looked At Solar Eclipse Through His Sunglasses, And Why It's Unsafe And Can Damage Eyes
In case you didn¡¯t know, looking at the solar eclipse through the naked eye can be extremely harmful, causing vision issues in the long run. The Sun's UV radiation is at its peak during an eclipse and can easily burn the retinas in the eyes leading to permanent damage or even blindness. This irreparable damage can occur even with exposure to direct sunlight for just a few seconds.
Today, India witnessed this year and decade¡¯s last solar eclipse. And it was a cool one as it was a beautiful annular solar eclipse with a glowing ring of fire.
The eclipse was visible throughout the country, and many people were looking forward to it, including our Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Twitter/Narendra Modi
He tweeted about his experience, trying to look at the solar eclipse just like millions of people across the world. However, it seemed like he wasn¡¯t taking the necessary safety precaution while enjoying the experience.
If you carefully notice the picture tweeted out by PM Modi, he is looking up at the sky (and the solar eclipse) just through his sunglasses, even when he seemingly has eclipse-certified glasses in his left hand.
Twitter/Narendra Modi
In case you didn¡¯t know, looking at the solar eclipse through the naked eye can be extremely harmful, causing vision issues in the long run. The Sun's UV radiation is at its peak during an eclipse and can easily burn the retinas in the eyes leading to permanent damage or even blindness. This irreparable damage can occur even with exposure to direct sunlight for just a few seconds.
NASA¡¯s official guidelines have stated that solar glasses with ISO 12312-2 international standard must be used to enjoy a solar eclipse in all its glory.
Moreover, in case your glasses have scratches or even wrinkled lenses, you cannot use those to safely watch a solar eclipse. Even sunglasses -- no matter if they are polarised or have a dark tint -- don¡¯t save your eyes from the damage.
Twitter/Narendra Modi
While we definitely cannot rule out the fact PM Modi could be wearing sunglasses that were designed specifically for looking at solar eclipse, the fact that he used those while having appropriate solar-eclipse glasses in his other hand, sets a poor example towards a nation full of people who he inspires.
An image like this would make anyone who sees it feel like they can safely look at a solar eclipse with regular sunglasses without fear of damaging their eyes -- which is an incorrect notion to encourage.
