eli5:
I only saw this warning after I had looked through them for around 3 minutes (give or take a minute maybe, I’m not sure)
Now I’m anxious about whether they were even safe to use or not.
In: Biology
If you are using approved solar viewing glasses (per NASA, the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard) you can look at the sun for the entire time of the eclipse, every phase. As long as the glasses are not damaged and compliant with safety standards, there is not a specific time limit
If your glasses warn you not to look through them for more than 3 minutes, you are using old one that may not be compliant with modern safety standards in place for almost the last decade.
https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety
The danger of looking at an eclipse is that the sunlight will burn the back of your eye in seconds, and because the sun is interesting and less bright during an eclipse, your eyes won’t adjust right and you’ll be less likely to squint or look away.
Eclipse glasses are really dark, so only a little light gets through. That increases the time you can look at the sun safely. But some light does get through, including light that you can’t see. Given enough time, there’s still a risk of injury, especially if the glasses are old or worn.
My eyes feel a bit dry and sore a day after the eclipse, probably in part due to a mild sunburn through my glasses.
On NASA’s own website they say compliant glasses are printed with this warning, but that they have changed the guidelines and that as long as it’s ISO 12312-2 compliant, you can look at them for as long as you want. Even if they have this warning. I believe new glasses still put this warning anyways just to save themselves from legal action in the case of misuse.
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