So you want to watch the eclipse on Monday, but we've all heard the warnings from our Optometrists, about doing so safely, but what's the worst that could happen?

Dr. Damon Umscheid, Co-Owner and Optometrist with Eyes 360 in Okotoks and High River says you can actually burn a hole in parts of your eye by looking at the eclipse without protection.

"The UV rays coming from the eclipse can damage the retina, or the back of the eye.  More specifically it damages the macula which is where your central vision and fine detail vision comes from." Umscheid says "Basically what it does, is burns a hole in that part of your eye."

The damage caused, Umscheid says, might not be painful right away, making it more dangerous.

"The back of the eye where damage would happen has no pain receptors there, so you wouldn't feel pain. At some point in time if you receive a burn there, it could cause distortion or loss of central vision." There is a second, and more painful way to damage your vision by staring at the sun though. "If you're looking at the sun, you can also cause keratitis or a burn on the surface of the cornea which would cause a red and painful eye, so there's two different ways to damage your eyes by looking at the eclipse, or the sun."

Umscheid adds he hopes eclipse watchers will be careful with their eyesight.

Other ways to stay 20/20 include some crafting, you can make pinhole cameras or projectors and instructions on how to do so, can be found by clicking here.

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