Looking directly at an eclipse, whether it is a partial or total solar eclipse, can cause damage to the eyes. The suns rays can cause damage to the retina, which is the part of the eye that transmits information to the brain. This damage can be temporary or permanent and can occur without any pain. It can take a few hours to a few days after viewing the solar eclipse to realize the damage that has occurred. The condition caused by staring at the sun is known as solar retinopathy. Symptoms generally begin occurring 12 hours after viewing the eclipse, when people wake up in the morning and notice their vision has been altered.

It is never safe to look at a partial solar eclipse without proper safety equipment or techniques. During the very brief time the sun is in total solar eclipse, it is safe to look at it, but do so with caution. Even during the total solar eclipse, the total eclipse may last only a short period of time, and if you are looking towards the sun as the moon moves away from blocking the sun, you might get a solar burn on your retina which can cause damage.

To safely view a solar eclipse, you should use special-purpose solar filters, such as "eclipse glasses". These glasses meet the current international standard for eye protection and shield your eyes from the suns harmful rays. If you want to look directly at a solar eclipse, you can view a total solar eclipse with your bare eyes, but only when the moon completely covers the face of the sun. If youre really interested in looking up at the sun without special spectacles, you could watch the events progression through a pinhole camera[[3]](https://sc...