Ohio will witness a unique and spectacular event when the solar eclipse darkens skies around the state. A large swath of the state will be shrouded in total darkness as it falls in the path of totality (even if data suggests that path might now be smaller).
Hopefully you're prepared with the best glasses or have supplies to construct a viewer at home. If not, you'll want to forget about watching this eclipse. Here's why.
Looking at the sun during an eclipse without protection can permanently damage your eyes
Fast forward to the hours after the solar eclipse:
You witnessed an amazing celestial sight that reminded you of our place in the cosmos. Or you stepped outside long enough to check it out, post a pic to Facebook and call it a day. But nowyour eyesight is a bit blurry, and straight things look a little curved. Did you damage your eyes?
Maybe.
Even a short glance at the sunwithout proper protectioncan cause temporary or permanent damage to your eyes. Sunglasses aren't enough, you needISO-certified solar eclipse glasseswhich blockabout 1,000 timesmore sunlight.
So make sure your glasses are approved, undamaged and within arm's reach today. The solar spectacle will last most of the afternoon in Ohio, but the path of totality will last just a few minutes.
When does the solar eclipse start in Ohio?
Have your eclipse glasses ready after lunch, Buckeye State stargazers. According to National Eclipse, Ohio residents can first see the moon overtake the sun at 1:53 p.m. before it fully reappears at 4:30 p.m.
The eclipse totality will last from 3:08 to 3:19 p.m. as it cuts a swath from southwest to northeast Ohio. Cincinnati and Columbus lie just south of the path of totality (northern suburbs of both cities will experience total darkness), but Akron, Cleveland, Kent and portions of North Canton lie in the path of totality.
Here's when some Ohio cities along its path can expect the total eclipse, and how long totality will last:
- Hamilton – Begins at 3:09:09 p.m., will last 1 minute, 42 seconds.
- Dayton – 3:09:29 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 43 seconds.
- Springfield – 3:10:15 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 34 seconds.
- Marion – 3:11:14 p.m., duration 3 minutes, 34 seconds.
- Delaware – 3:11:36 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 35 seconds.
- Fremont – 3:11:46 p.m., duration 2 minutes, 38 seconds.
- Dublin – 3:11:59 p.m., will last 1 minute, 23 seconds.
- Port Clinton – 3:12:12 p.m., duration 3 minutes, 30 seconds.
- Toledo – 3:12:17 p.m., duration 1 minute, 53 seconds.
- Mansfield -- 3:12:23 p.m., will last 3 minutes, 16 seconds.
- Ashland – 3:12:43 p.m., duration 3 minutes, 19 seconds.
- Wooster – 3:13:39 p.m., duration 2 minutes, 25 seconds.
- Akron – 3:14:14 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 46 seconds.
- Cuyahoga Falls – 3:14:15 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 56 seconds.
- Cleveland – 3:13:46 p.m., will last 3 minutes, 49 seconds.
- Kent – 3:14:31 p.m., will last 2 minutes, 47 seconds.
What was the last solar eclipse in Ohio? When is the next one?
Congress voted to welcome the Ohio to the United States in 1803. The Buckeye State was still a toddler the last time it experienced a solar eclipse in 1806. Eclipse glasses were decades away from being invented.
Ohio's next solar eclipse comes a little sooner than 281 years, but the 2024 event is still a once-in-a-lifetime show for many viewers – the next one won't happen until 2099.
Let's be clear:If you're in Cincinnati or Columbus on April 8, you won't see a total solar eclipse
How do I know if I damaged my eyes during the April eclipse? What are the symptoms of eclipse blindness?
So you watched the eclipse with glasses, but maybe they slipped off, were damaged, or were never ISO certified. How do you know if you damaged your eyes?
The retinas of your eyes have no nerve endings, so even if they are damaged, you may not feel any pain. But according to theAmerican Academy of Ophthalmology, you should go see your ophthalmologist if you experience any of these symptoms a few hours or even days after the eclipse:
- Blurry vision.
- Headache and/or eye pain.
- Vision loss or a black spot at the center of a patient’s sight in one or both eyes.
- Increased sensitivity to light.
- Distorted vision (a straight line may look bent or curvy).
- Changes in the way you see color, known as "dyschromatopsia."
How long can I look at the sun if I'm using eclipse glasses?
According to the American Astronomical Society, while some glasses and viewers include warnings about looking through them at the sun for more than 3 minutes at a time, as long as your glasses are compliant with the ISO 12312-2 safety standard and are undamaged, "you may look at the uneclipsed or partially eclipsed sun through them for as long as you wish."
What does looking at the sun do to your eyes?
Ever started a fire by using a magnifying glass to focus sunlight onto a point?
The lens of your eye does essentially the same thing when it focuses the light you see onto the retinas at the back of your eye, theAmerican Academy of Ophthalmologyexplained. The retina is the light-detecting part of your eye that transmits those signals to the brain. Direct, intense light can burn a hole in them or destroy retinal cells almost immediately.
Normally it hurts to look at the sun and humans naturally squint or look away. Even a few seconds can be too much. But during an eclipse, the visible sunlight is reduced and it becomes possible to look directly at it without discomfort for longer periods of time. You may not even know you've damaged your eyes until the next day.
The result is solar retinopathy or retinal burns. It can happen from looking at the sun or at too-bright reflections of sunlight off snow or water. The most common cause of solar retinopathy is viewing a solar eclipse, also called eclipse blindness.
It's rare, but it can be permanent. The2017 eclipse, which passed from Oregon to South Carolina, is thought to have caused about 100 cases, according to theAmerican Astronomical Society, out of the estimated 150 million people who witnessed it. But since solar retinopathy doesn't cause complete blindness, many people with minor cases may have never reported it or even known they had it.
How long will damage from looking at an eclipse last?
Researchers have found that some patients "may see symptoms ease over time," according toDavid Huttonfor Ophthalmology Times. The cones in the retina are resilient and resist damage, experts say.
In a 1976 study, some patients saw their symptoms clear over time, and researchers found that some cases saw an "excellent recovery" in the first three months.
However, others have suffered permanent damage resulting in impaired vision in the form of a small blind spot in one or both eyes and distortion.
Is damage from looking at a solar eclipse treatable?
No. There is no treatment.
You should have an ophthalmologist scan your eyes to see how much damage has been done and they can monitor them over the next few months to chart any recovery, but the only thing you can do is wait and hope for it to go away.
And avoid looking at the sun.
