Why you should wear eclipse glasses on April 8

And this will be her third eclipse viewing — she witnessed one on a cruise ship in California in 1991 and in southern Illinois in 2017.

“Without glasses, looking at the sun is very dangerous,” she said.

Viewing the eclipse without glasses can burn a hole in your retina or damage it permanently, she said.

Koloms is an eye surgeon at Samaritan Medical Center and is ophthalmologist and medical director of the Center for Sight with patients in Watertown and Ogdensburg.

Koloms cannot emphasize enough the need for a pair of eclipse glasses for spectators.

“I don’t want you to be my patient,” she said.

She advised to wear glasses that are specifically for the eclipse and much darker than sunglasses. Regular sunglasses should not be used to look at the sun.

Just check that they have the International Organization for Standardization, or the ISO certification, on them to make sure they are suitable glasses, Koloms said.

“They make it safe to view the eclipse,” she said.

The cardboard-framed glasses with a Filter No. 4 welding-glass Mylar lens look a lot like those glasses for 3D movies.

Koloms, who is volunteering for the city’s eclipse committee, will be at Thompson Park with a telescope taking photos of the event on the big day.

The city is hosting Total Eclipse of the Park festivities. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend if the weather is clear for viewing.

The Center for Sight, 1815 State St., has between 4,000 and 5,000 of the eclipse glasses to give to patients and will distribute more of them as the eclipse nears.

At Monday night’s City Council meeting, Mill Street resident Jonathan Phillips told council members that the city should try to stop businesses from selling them for a profit. More should be done to distribute them for free, he said.

Several area organizations also are giving them away for free. Local stores are also selling them in anticipation of the event.