Thanks Mike, top marks to you for putting this advisory out there.
Whatever our own thoughts and experiences might be, the fact is that during an eclipse, some people will be blinded or have their eyesight seriously impaired. Small numbers and maybe they were doing something silly, but for the individuals affected this is a devastating change in their lives.
I don't have a lot of figures, but a World Health Organisation Fact Sheet in 1999 had this to say:
"
Statistical evidence, accumulated mostly in developed countries, is scarce. Eclipse blindness is often underreported because patients consult eye specialists long after viewing an eclipse. In many cases, they do not associate their condition with looking directly at the sun for only a few seconds. In the majority of developing countries, such statistics do not exist at all.
That is why the official global figures of eclipse blindness and visual impairment do not look impressive. After the partial solar eclipse of 1952, for example, 52 cases of blindness or severe visual impairment were registered worldwide. After the 1970 and 1980 total solar eclipses, 145 and 112 cases of serious visual impairment were reported respectively."
https://apps.who.int/inf-fs/en/fact228.html
It happens (and
will happen), so be careful! I won't be turning my back, but I will be taking every care.
Cheers -