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Doctors, scientists urging solar eclipse watchers to prepare to use caution

Posted at 6:54 PM, Aug 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-08-03 14:22:00-04

As millions of people across the country prepare to watch the solar eclipse the afternoon of August 21, doctors and scientists are urging people to use caution to avoid eye damage and even total blindness.

In Michigan, only a partial eclipse will be visible and looking at with a naked eye is very dangerous.

"Right now, there's no way to replace those cells if you lose them, so it's permanent blindness," says Dr. Ken Mitton of Oakland University's Eye Research Institute.

NASA recommends people use "eclipse glasses and handheld solar viewers verified to be compliant with the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard for such products."

"You don't even want to use regular sunglasses," says Dr. Mitton. "If you can see the bright lights in your house through your sunglasses, they're not good enough to look at the solar eclipse."

Mitton says when using the correct glasses, the only thing you can see is the sun.

Click on the video to learn more from Dr. Mitton in Kimberly Craig's report.