The bright sun often makes for warm days outdoors for many and is a welcomed visitor after months of winter and Spring’s rainy weather. However, with the shining bright sun also comes the risk of people gazing into the skies and damaging their vision. Sun gazing protective glasses from Phillips Safety Products can help keep all individuals safe while spending time outdoors looking at the clouds and the sky. Be it safety glasses or solar eclipse glass shades, Phillips Safety Products has a variety of in-stock eyewear that can protect a person’s vision and retinas from permanent damage.Safety and ProtectionProtective glasses for sun gazing should always be worn whenever a person plans to look directly at the sun, for instance during a solar eclipse. These types of shades are also beneficial for people going to air shows, hot air balloon races, and any other outdoor activity that involves looking to the sky. They are especially beneficial for men, women, and children that are planning to view a beautiful sunrise or sunset.”Taking in a beautiful sunset is relaxing, but don’t look too long at our planet’s closest star because its rays can cause blindness and other life-changing side effects, ” cautioned the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in an interview article with Jones Eye Clinic ophthalmologist Dr. Joseph Chacko.It is important to understand that wearing protective glasses should occur whenever an individual is looking towards the sun because it will prevent damage to the eye, specifically the retina and one’s ability to see things properly.”Sunlight damages the eye as its light is focused by the cornea and lens onto the central retina, or macula, where it causes a retinal burn, which then forms a scar,” explained Dr. Chacko.Especially Important during the Time of an EclipsePhillips Safety Products has specific solar eclipse watching glasses that come with very dark lenses and are able to block out over 99% of ultraviolet light and 97% of infrared radiation. These types of solar eclipse glasses can be worn and utilized to protect a person’s eyesight whenever there is an intention to look directly at an eclipse.While the next total solar eclipse is not slated to happen until April 8, 2024 in the United States there will be one happening in South America on July 2, 2019. According to eclipse experts sun gazing opportunities for this 2019 eclipse will be available to those in Chile and Argentina prior to sunset. Protective glasses should be worn during total eclipses, and also during partial eclipses because it is never a good idea to look directly at the sun or parts of the sun with the naked eye.”The only safe way to look at a partial solar eclipse is through eclipse glasses,” reported Time Magazine. “Partial eclipses occur about twice a year somewhere in the world.”In addition to total and partial solar eclipses, there are also “annular eclipses” which in order to be viewed require protective sunglasses just like any other solar eclipse situation. They can last for hours and seem to be more rare in terms of eclipse viewings. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) define an annular eclipse as happening “when the moon is farthest from Earth. Because the moon is farther away from Earth, it seems smaller and does not block the entire view of the sun.” The next annular eclipse is slated to happen on December 26, 2019 and it may be visible to portions of Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.Solar eclipse watching sunglasses from Phillips Safety Products will allow a sun gazer to view spectacular eclipse sites such as a solar corona, which is when an outline of sunlight is made visible in a perfect circle around the shape of the moon for only eight seconds or less according to the American Astronomical Society and National Science Foundation. Seeing a corona is often a once and a lifetime experience, therefore protective glasses are a total necessity in order to capture the image and not miss out on a second of the fleeting, yet magnificent scene in the sky.

Eye Damage and BlindnessIf a person looks at the sun for too long it can lead to irreparable damage to the eye, which is why wearing protective glasses during the sun gazing process is so very important. A person may stare at the sun and think they are okay, however eye damage can surface a few days later when a person begins to notice problems with their vision. At this point there may be little that can be done from a medical perspective to regain the loss of sight. “Note, there are no pain receptors in the retina so your retina can be damaged even before you realize it, and by then it is too late to save your vision,” explained NASA experts.Losing one’s eyesight in order to see a beautiful site in the bright sky above is not worth it. Even the professionals at NASA have cautioned against looking at the sun for too long without protective lenses, “Typically, eye damage from staring at the sun results in blurred vision, dark or yellow spots, pain in bright light or loss of vision in the center of the eye (the fovea). Permanent damage to the retina has been shown to occur in ~100 seconds, but the exact time before damage occurs will vary with the intensity of the sun on a particular day and with how much the viewer’s pupil is dilated from decongestants and other drugs they may be taking.”Protective glasses that meet the specified guidelines from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) must be worn whenever someone is planning to look towards the sun. Phillips Safety Products adheres to these ISO standards with their comfortable and completely dark protection lenses because they understand the importance of keeping radiation and UV light from penetrating the eye.Sunsets, sunrises, eclipses, and finding shapes within clouds are meant to be beautiful and enjoyable experiences. They are also situations that can turn tragic if a person does not wear protective glasses.