Local officials and doctors are preaching safety before Monday's highly anticipated total solar eclipse.
Dr. Rachel Amaral, an optometrist with Town Eye Care in downtown Orillia, says as long as people are equipped with legitimate solar eclipse glasses, there's no specific duration of viewing time that needs to be adhered to.
However, looking at the eclipse without glasses can be "quite dangerous," leading to two major ocular complications.
"Solar keratopathy is similar to the damage sustained from welding arcs," she explained. "The UV exposure damages the cells on the surface of the cornea, exposing the underlying nerves and causing intensive pain and light sensitivity."
While solar keratopathy can be healed, it requires treatment with antibiotics to prevent secondary infection or a bandage contact lens to relieve the pain as it heals.
Looking at the eclipse without protection can also cause solar retinopathy, Amaral says.
"This occurs when the UV exposure damages the retina at the back of the eye," she said. "It doesn't cause pain but could result in mild to moderate vision loss, a blind spot in the central vision, distorted/wavy vision, and colour vision changes. All of these effects would be permanent and untreatable, so it's the greatest concern with the upcoming solar eclipse."
To be sure people have proper eye protection for viewing the eclipse, Amaral says there are a few factors to consider in eclipse glasses.
"You should not be able to see any lights except for the sun while looking through them," she said. "This means that regular sunglasses (polarized or unpolarized) are not safe to use."
She says if glasses have any scratches or damages to the lenses, they're not safe to use.
"There are many counterfeit glasses sold from unauthorized vendors, which increases the risk of permanent vision loss," she said.
The Ontario Association of Optometrists has an approved list of safe vendors, which can be found here.
For months, Orillia's Home Hardware has been selling solar eclipse glasses. They have been flying off the shelves, says co-owner Bill Ecklund.
"It was a little slow at the start," he said. "As more people started talking about the eclipse, they started selling a lot faster."
Home Hardware has had to source the glasses from numerous manufacturers.
"We will get a couple of hundred in, and they are gone in the same day," Ecklund said. "We have a lot of people coming in just to ask about them."
Home Hardware was restocked with 200 pairs of glasses Thursday afternoon and will receive another 300 Friday.
"That will be the end of it," Ecklund said. "Once this order is done, they are probably gone."
He says Ontario being in the path of totality has caused a craze among locals.
"This is something we aren't going to see again in our area for several years," he said. "I, myself, am travelling to my brother's place outside of Stoney Creek to try and photograph it."
He promises the glasses sold at Home Hardware have a "very strong" filter and are "legitimate."
"If you put them on and look at regular light, you can't really see anything," he said.
Orillia Deputy Fire Chief Chris Ferry says it will be "business as usual" for first responders who must be outside during the eclipse.
"We are telling all staff not to be viewing the eclipse with the naked eye," he said. "If they do go on calls, they know not to look directly at the eclipse."
Brooklyn Harker, OPP Central Region media relations co-ordinator, says police do not expect their day-to-day operations to be affected by the eclipse.
"The OPP is not increasing the amount of personnel," she said. "Should additional resources be required, the OPP is always prepared to mobilize resources."
She says the OPP is encouraging residents and tourists to make road safety a "top priority" when travelling to their solar eclipse plans or events.
"Historically, eclipses have prompted mass movements of people to prime viewing areas," she said. "We want to remind the public to share the road and don't wear your eclipse glasses while driving."
Harker says commuters should make sure their vehicle headlights are on during the eclipse and they should not photograph or record video of the eclipse while driving.
"Never pull over or stop on the roadway or shoulder to view the eclipse," she said. "Please make sure you are parked in a safe area away from traffic to view the eclipse."
Leading up to the eclipse, Harker reminds people to not drive while impaired.
"For an event like this, people tend to be going out and drinking to make it a celebration," she said. "That's always something that we are very strict about."
