Ahead of Monday’s total solar eclipse, our health unit is reminding residents to protect their vision.
The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit warns that looking directly at the sun, even during a total eclipse, can cause serious and permanent damage to your eyes. That includes looking through normal sunglasses, telescopes, binoculars, and camera or phone lenses.
The health unit adds that children are at higher risk of eye damage than adults and encourages parents to fully supervise them to make sure proper eye protection is used, adding the safest way to view the eclipse is via livestream.
Officials say eclipse viewing glasses should be ISO 12312-2 certified, and free of any wrinkles or scratches. If glasses are not available, you can follow directions from the Canadian Space Agency to create your own eclipse projector.
Although the sun will not be fully covered in Muskoka, according to tracking website Eclipse2024.org, Clear Lake along Hwy 118 in Bracebridge will have the best coverage at 96.3 per cent. The eclipse is expected to start around 2:06 p.m. in our region, reach its peak at 3:20, and end around 4:30.