Health Warning Issued To Anyone Watching Tonight’s Solar Eclipse

A solar eclipse is set to be visible across parts of the United States and Europe this afternoon or tonight, but health experts and space agencies are warning that even a brief glance at the event without proper protection could cause permanent eye damage. NASA advises that it is unsafe to look directly at the sun during a partial eclipse without specialized eye protection, as the equipment can concentrate the sun's rays and cause severe injury almost instantly.

The American Society of Retina Specialists has also issued a warning, noting that the sun remains intensely bright even when most of it appears covered, and that symptoms of eye damage may not appear until hours later.

Brief written by urgent.news from Newsweek's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.