Eclipse warning!

NHS Warrington is urging local residents not to risk damaging their eyes by attempting to view a partial solar eclipse scheduled for January 4.
The Government’s Interim Chief Medical Officer, Dame Sally Davies has warned that people risk permanent damage to their eyesight and even blindness if they look directly at the partial eclipse of the sun.
The moon will pass between the sun and Earth creating a partial eclipse that will be visible in the UK between 8am and 9.30am on January 4.
NHS Warrington is asking local people who want to watch the eclipse to take precautions to ensure that their health is not put at risk. The safest way to watch the eclipse is on the television or live webcasts on the internet.
Observing the eclipse directly through a telescope, binoculars or camera is not safe under any circumstances. In addition, sunglasses, dailies and photographic film are also wholly inadequate and should not be used to view the eclipse. Only specially designed solar filters (bearing appropriate CE mark*) can be used to safely view the eclipse directly.
Dame Sally Davies said: “Under no circumstances should people look directly at the sun during a partial eclipse. The risks of doing so are very real and could lead to irreversible damage to eyesight and even blindness.
“Children are particularly vulnerable as they may be tempted to take a peek. We would urge parents to explain the danger to their children. We would not wish to see another case like the young boy who lost his central vision back in October 2005 through looking directly at a partial eclipse in his school playground.”
Anita Lightstone, Programme Director UK Vision Strategy, from the Royal National Institute of Blind People, said:
“It is vital that people take the issue of eye safety seriously. People who look directly at the sun, even for as little as five seconds, risk permanent eye damage, even blindness.”
This advice has the support of the Royal College of Ophthalmologists, College of Optometrists, Royal National Institute of Blind People and incorporates advice from the Royal Astronomical Society.