Page 5 | Who peeked?

youalright · 2026-08-12T18:17:28+00:00

Admit it who peeked, can't of just been me 🤣🤣🤣

arethereanyleftatall · 13/08/2026 12:53

Hohumbrumbrum · 13/08/2026 12:00

You're right you can, but it's unlikely, at least at a level which causes symptoms.

Of the approximately 40 million people who watched the 1999 eclipse, 28 had reported injuries from staring at the eclipse for less than a minute.

There was no recorded case of someone having damaged after an eclipse were they only glimpsed for a second or less.

Show quote history

Thank you for this. Very reassuring.
does it count cumulatively or only in a row? Eg look at it for 10 seconds, away for a couple of minutes on and on for an hour.

diddl · 13/08/2026 12:47

I can't look at the sun even sunglasses on.

I didn't know people could😊

arethereanyleftatall · 13/08/2026 12:32

Cheesestringsasatreat · 13/08/2026 12:03

You watched without the glasses etc?
What did he say would have been the problem in the first few hours afterwards-the symptoms?

Show quote history

Well we had normal cheap sunglasses on. So our vision would have started to go blurry etc in the first few hours according to the 3 opticians I spoke to this morning. Yes, looked at it - on and off from 6.30pm to 7.30pm

arethereanyleftatall · 13/08/2026 12:06

ChristinaPaigeDoesNotApprove · 13/08/2026 11:55

That's what you aren't understanding. It doesn't need minutes it's seconds. You can damage your eyes permanently in seconds.

Show quote history

But if you can damage your eyes permanent in seconds, doesn’t that mean we’re all very often at risk? I think look at it by accident fairly frequently, for example when driving and it’s right in your eyes or when I try and wash my roof lantern. Or kids playing at the beach looking for their patents.

Cheesestringsasatreat · 13/08/2026 12:03

arethereanyleftatall · 13/08/2026 11:09

Off the back of this thread I had a complete panic and booked dd in for an optician’s appointment this morning. Cos we watched the whole thing for an hour intermittently staring at sun. Her eyes are fine. They said if there was a problem we would have known in first few hours afterwards which is not what Google said. My appointment is tomorrow!

You watched without the glasses etc?
What did he say would have been the problem in the first few hours afterwards-the symptoms?

ApolloandDaphne · 13/08/2026 12:02

I squinted at it briefly when I was on the bus but there was a bit of cloud cover. I saw a glimpse of the crescent shape.

Hohumbrumbrum · 13/08/2026 12:00

ChristinaPaigeDoesNotApprove · 13/08/2026 11:55

That's what you aren't understanding. It doesn't need minutes it's seconds. You can damage your eyes permanently in seconds.

Show quote history

You're right you can, but it's unlikely, at least at a level which causes symptoms.

Of the approximately 40 million people who watched the 1999 eclipse, 28 had reported injuries from staring at the eclipse for less than a minute.

There was no recorded case of someone having damaged after an eclipse were they only glimpsed for a second or less.

ChristinaPaigeDoesNotApprove · 13/08/2026 11:55

youalright · 13/08/2026 10:53

The sun is the sun, eclipse or not the danger comes from when its covered you can look at it for longer without realising but nobody on this thread did that people looked at it for a second and looked away just like when you catch the sun with your eyes normally. If people where staring directly at it for minutes you would have a point

Show quote history

That's what you aren't understanding. It doesn't need minutes it's seconds. You can damage your eyes permanently in seconds.

aniloD · 13/08/2026 11:41

In 1966 when I was 11 we were all given some coloured cellophane and went into the school yard to watch. I don't think we'll ever know if it caused any damage but certainly not everyone who watched it then is blind now

arethereanyleftatall · 13/08/2026 11:09

Off the back of this thread I had a complete panic and booked dd in for an optician’s appointment this morning. Cos we watched the whole thing for an hour intermittently staring at sun. Her eyes are fine. They said if there was a problem we would have known in first few hours afterwards which is not what Google said. My appointment is tomorrow!

NotTheHRPolice · 13/08/2026 10:58

youalright · 13/08/2026 10:53

The sun is the sun, eclipse or not the danger comes from when its covered you can look at it for longer without realising but nobody on this thread did that people looked at it for a second and looked away just like when you catch the sun with your eyes normally. If people where staring directly at it for minutes you would have a point

Show quote history

Did your ophthalmology degree come from Temu?

NotTheHRPolice · 13/08/2026 10:57

Thegirlwhowent · 13/08/2026 08:09

@NotTheHRPolice I agree that people's apparent ignorance can be depressing. I just thought it was harsh that you judged her for using 'of' instead of 'have' and assuming she therefore didn't know much. Yes, we all have instant access to a world of information but we can't possibly know or understand all of it. We all have our own weaknesses and strengths and different interests.

‘tis often a very strong indicator……..

Original poster

youalright · 13/08/2026 10:53

ChristinaPaigeDoesNotApprove · 13/08/2026 09:26

Not during an eclipse, no.

Show quote history

The sun is the sun, eclipse or not the danger comes from when its covered you can look at it for longer without realising but nobody on this thread did that people looked at it for a second and looked away just like when you catch the sun with your eyes normally. If people where staring directly at it for minutes you would have a point

OP posts:

Shatteredallthetimelately · 13/08/2026 09:40

Pieceofpurplesky · 13/08/2026 00:17

I did. I swear it was darker in '99 (I think that was the date)

I agree here, I was out in the garden then, lovely day weather wise again not to bothered about seeing the eclipse but I remember it also went pretty cold and the birds went totally silent.

AzureCats · 13/08/2026 09:27

NotTheHRPolice · 12/08/2026 23:29

Everyone posting on this site has pretty much the entire history of human learning in their pocket and powerful search engines (no, not AI!) with which to find any information they need. About the basics of languages (including English) and how to safely watch a solar eclipse. They were likely on social media or news apps which publicised this event weeks ago. There isn’t really any excuse for anyone not knowing anything nowadays. It’s general laziness that people aren’t interested in anything more intellectual than Love Island.

e.g. the attached geniuses, who haven’t realised that solar eclipses happen in other places than the UK, or that there are other ways we can understand the impact of using eyes or phone cameras to look directly at the sun. One got as far as googling but didn’t bother to delve any deeper. It’s utterly depressing.

Show quote history

This is peak comedy. Glad I came back to this thread. 😂

ChristinaPaigeDoesNotApprove · 13/08/2026 09:26

youalright · 13/08/2026 05:54

So you've never looked at the sun?

Show quote history

Not during an eclipse, no.

diddl · 13/08/2026 09:17

I thought that you wouldn't see anything if you looked without glasses anyway?

AFigureWalks · 13/08/2026 08:12

Yes, with bare eyes!
The image was only temporarily burned onto my retinas, I am glad to say.
We can all meet at the cataract clinic in a few years time.

Thegirlwhowent · 13/08/2026 08:09

@NotTheHRPolice I agree that people's apparent ignorance can be depressing. I just thought it was harsh that you judged her for using 'of' instead of 'have' and assuming she therefore didn't know much. Yes, we all have instant access to a world of information but we can't possibly know or understand all of it. We all have our own weaknesses and strengths and different interests.

Original poster

youalright · 13/08/2026 07:06

Aintgointogoa · 13/08/2026 06:24

@youalright no. I have never looked at the sun, other than inadvertently.a sunset over the sea or a dawn sunrise, yes.... but it is actually extremely uncomfortable to look at the sun, our life giving star, when it it is in plain sight, have you not noticed that ? You may not be able to notice much at all soon 🤷‍♀️

It was pretty uncomfortable looking at it last night to just the same as looking at the sun any other time

OP posts:

Aintgointogoa · 13/08/2026 06:24

@youalright no. I have never looked at the sun, other than inadvertently.a sunset over the sea or a dawn sunrise, yes.... but it is actually extremely uncomfortable to look at the sun, our life giving star, when it it is in plain sight, have you not noticed that ? You may not be able to notice much at all soon 🤷‍♀️

Original poster

youalright · 13/08/2026 05:54

ChristinaPaigeDoesNotApprove · 13/08/2026 02:01

It takes only a few seconds to cause permanent eye damage. There is no "safe" window of time to look at an eclipse without protection, even a few seconds can cause permanent retinal burn

Edited

Show quote history

So you've never looked at the sun?

OP posts:

ChristinaPaigeDoesNotApprove · 13/08/2026 02:01

youalright · 12/08/2026 20:13

He watched the whole thing though what me and others are saying is we peeked so you're talking a second or 2

Show quote history

It takes only a few seconds to cause permanent eye damage. There is no "safe" window of time to look at an eclipse without protection, even a few seconds can cause permanent retinal burn

NotTheHRPolice · 13/08/2026 01:17

youalright · 13/08/2026 00:11

I knew it was a 90% eclipse. I assumed covering 90% of the sun would make it go dark. I've learnt today it doesn't. This is how we grow and learn. You may think you know everything and have nothing left to learn but like most humans I'm still learning daily. Maybe you should spend less time looking at a screen and more time around other people to learn how everyone is different.

Show quote history

I’ve spent 25 years in HR. More time with people than most spend in a lifetime. I stand by my comments.

(I shall write books one day.)

BeachHairForLife · 13/08/2026 00:54

To anyone still wanting to watch the skies, meteors in full effect now over Cornwall ❤️