IBTimes UK asked optician Georgina Kendrick, from the Didsbury Eyecare in Manchester, how to safely watch the solar eclipse – and what happens if you do not do so carefully. You should never look directly at the sun, even through binoculars or telescopes as the eye can still easily be damaged.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/solar-eclipse-2015-what-actually-happens-if-you-look-directly-sun-1492369
You can seriously hurt your eyes, and even go blind. Wear eclipse glasses for a solar eclipse. Make sure your eclipse glasses are safe, or the Sun’s UV radiation can seriously injure the retinas in the eyes. The Sun’s UV radiation can burn the retinas in the eyes leading to permanent damage or even blindness.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/eclipse-tips-safety.html
Wear eclipse glasses for a solar eclipse. Make sure your eclipse glasses are safe, or the Sun’s UV radiation can seriously injure the retinas in the eyes. ©iStockphoto.com/AlbertoRoura. The Sun’s UV radiation can burn the retinas in the eyes leading to permanent damage or even blindness.
https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/eclipse-tips-safety.html
The only time that the Sun can be viewed safely with the naked eye is during a total eclipse, when the Moon completely covers the disk of the Sun. It is never safe to look at a partial or annular eclipse, or the partial phases of a total solar eclipse, without the proper equipment and techniques.
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety2.html
In spite of these precautions, the total phase (and only the total phase) of an eclipse can and should be viewed without filters. It is crucial that you know when to take off and put back on your glasses; see Eye safety during a total solar eclipse.
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety2.html
What happens to your eyes when you look directly at the sun? When you look directly at the sun, there are many risks to the health of your eyes. The most painful outcome being corneal sunburn [Photokeratitis], which can cause a very painful eye and loss of vision that can last up to 48 hours.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/solar-eclipse-2015-what-actually-happens-if-you-look-directly-sun-1492369
A total solar eclipse is probably the most spectacular astronomical event that most people will experience in their lives. There is a great deal of interest in watching eclipses, and thousands of astronomers (both amateur and professional) travel around the world to observe and photograph them.
https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/safety2.html
what happens to your eyes watching an eclipse
When you watching an eclipse it can seriously hurt your eyes and even go blind.