Australia is in a prime position for five solar eclipses, with the first being a total eclipse over the Ningaloo region in Western Australia later this month.
The phenomena have prompted The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO) to issues patient guidelines for eye safety during an eclipse.
The total eclipse over Ningaloo, including the town of Exmouth, will be on Thursday 20 April. In Exmouth, totality begins at just after 11:29am (AWST) and will last about one minute.
A total eclipse is exceedingly rare; any single location on Earth is only likely to see a total eclipse once every few hundred years.
The rest of Australia will experience a partial eclipse, and a chance to prepare for the big one, a total eclipse over Sydney in July 2028.
There will be further eclipses in various parts of Australia in November 2030, July 2037, and December 2038.
Eye care professionals can download RANZCO’s prepared advice for the public from its website
Spectacular, But Dangerous
“Solar eclipses are spectacular,” said President of the Astronomical Society of Australia (ASA) Professor John Lattanzio. “So, Australia really is the lucky country with five total eclipses visible in various parts of the country over the next 15 years.”
Dr Hessom Razavi of The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Ophthalmologists (RANZCO), and the Lions Eye Institute, said looking directly at the sun “can cause serious and permanent eye damage, and that’s true even during a solar eclipse”.
“Children’s eyes are especially vulnerable to damage.”
While ASA recommended special-purpose eclipse glasses, RANZCO has warned that eclipse glasses still carry some risk.
According to RANZCO, the only way to guarantee the prevention of solar retinopathy is to avoid all forms of direct sun viewing.
Eye care professionals can download RANZCO’s prepared advice for the public from its website.
