The Internet Can't Get Enough of President Donald Trump Staring Directly at the Solar Eclipse

Looking directly at the sun during an eclipse can cause your retinas to burn

By Meg Swertlow Aug 21, 2017 9:32 PMTags

Do not stare directly at the sun. We repeat: Do NOT stare directly at the sun. Oh well!

In his brief time in the office, President Donald Trump has become America's No. 1 Internet punching bag and today was no different and that's because #45 decided to stare directly at the sun during today's historic solar eclipse while taking a look-see with Melania Trump and Barron Trump at the White House.

Needless to say, the Internet is having a field day with the bold move, which is strongly cautioned against by doctors because it could result in permanent eye damage or cause blindness by burning your retinas. Even a few seconds of letting your peepers peek at the eclipsed sun could result in great destruction to your eyesight. 

"It can range from blurry vision to absolute permanent vision loss," said Dr. Christopher Quinn, president of the American Optometric Association, to the New York Times.

According to NASA, it is unsafe to stare directly at the sun, except during the brief total phase of a solar eclipse ("totality"), when the moon entirely blocks the sun's face. The only safe way to look directly at the un-eclipsed or partially eclipsed sun is through special solar filters or hand-held solar viewers (aka all the eclipse glasses everyone's Instagraming about).

But what did the people of Twitter have to say about the president's potentially dangerous decision? A lot. Looks like the president has done his good deed for the day in delighting the masses on social media. Check it out!

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Solar Eclipse Jewelry Based on Your Zodiac Sign
Mark Wilson/Getty Images
Mark Wilson/Getty Images

And for a little more technical background: Sveta Kavali, an ophthalmologist and retina specialist at Saint Louis University said in a video about viewing the eclipse safely, "That damage is typically irreversible, and there's no treatment for this."

She continued, "The way the damage occurs on a cellular basis is that the UV rays from the sun induces a photochemical reaction that damages the photo receptors of the retina, and the part of the retina that's damaged is the part that's responsible for your central vision. So it's very important not to look at the partial eclipse, not to look at the sun, without the proper viewing protection."

We hope you didn't stare directly into the sun and if you did—go to a doctor!