Prevent Blindness Texas Encourages Eye Safety for Upcoming Total Solar Eclipse in April
Upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8th will be one of the longest total solar eclipses of the 21st century
TX (Feb. 8, 2024) – Prevent Blindness Texas is preparing the public to safely experience the total solar eclipse that will take place on April 8th, 2024 with the Prevent Blindness Eclipse + Your Eyes program. The goal of the recently launched program is to educate the public on solar eclipses and raise awareness about the dangers of looking directly at the sun during an eclipse. The Eclipse + Your Eyes Program is made possible by the generous support of Silver Sponsors MyEyeDr. and National Vision, and Bronze Sponsors Amgen, UnitedHealthcare and VSP Vision.
The eclipse on April 8th will be the last total solar eclipse visible from the contiguous United States until 2045. Its path of totality in North America will begin in Mexico and pass through Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine before ending in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. However, a partial eclipse will be visible throughout the continental United States.
“This April, everyone in the contiguous United States will be able to view this spectacular astral event – one not to be seen again for more than 20 years. Prevent Blindness wants to ensure all eyes are protected while doing so,” said Heather Patrick, President and CEO of Prevent Blindness Texas. “We encourage everyone to visit our website where they can purchase Prevent Blindness-branded eclipse glasses with proceeds supporting our sight-saving mission, and also access a number of other informative eclipse resources.”
Failure to protect the eyes while looking at the sun during a solar eclipse can result in “eclipse blindness” or solar retinopathy, causing damage or destruction to the cells in the retina. As part of its Eclipse + Your Eyes program, Prevent Blindness is offering solar eclipse glasses for purchase that are manufactured to meet the safety guidelines of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 12312-2), with proceeds going to support the organization’s sight-saving programs.
Prevent Blindness and Prevent Blindness Texas are offering free fact sheets, available in English and Spanish, a free eNewsletter, and other online resources, including:
- An educational video on safe eclipse viewing that features former NASA astronaut Dr. Mike Massimino, retired NASA physicist Dr. Rafat Ansari, and medical retinal specialist Dr. Amy Babiuch from Cleveland Clinic.
- Tips for safely photographing a solar eclipse from astrophotographer and visual storyteller Jon Carmichael.
- Solar eclipse viewing party toolkits as well as children’s eclipse toolkits for families and teachers.
- For educators and parents, the “Preschool and Early Childhood Solar Eclipse Lesson and Book.”
For more information on the Prevent Blindness Eclipse + Your Eyes program, tips for good eye safety practices and where to purchase safety eyewear, visit Solar Eclipse + Your Eyes – Prevent Blindness Texas.
About Prevent Blindness Texas
Established in 1956 and incorporated in 1965, Prevent Blindness Texas is the state’s leading eye health and safety nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing blindness and preserving sight. At Prevent Blindness Texas, our vision is vision – making healthy eyes a priority in Texas. We focus on improving the state’s vision and eye health by enhancing community capacity through our core competencies of early detection, patient support, systems enhancement, public policy, public awareness, and health education. Prevent Blindness Texas touches the lives of thousands of Texans through our sight-saving programs and services through our network of volunteers and offices located statewide. For more information, or to contribute to the sight-saving fund, call 1-888-98-SIGHT or, visit us on the Web at www.preventblindnesstexas.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.