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Solar Glasses, Pinhole Projector A Must To Safely Watch Eclipse

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com/AP) — Solar glasses are a must for safe viewing of Monday's total solar eclipse, the first to span coast to U.S. coast in 99 years.

And parents beware: Eye doctors urge strict adult supervision for eclipse watchers under 16 years old.

In Southern California, the eclipse will run from 9:05 a.m. to 11:44 a.m.

People in Los Angeles will see a partial eclipse (the moon will cover almost 70 percent of the sun's diameter and 62 percent of its area), while a total solar eclipse will be visible in a swath across the continental United States from the Oregon coast to South Carolina. The rest of the U.S. gets a partial eclipse that extends into Canada and to the top of South America.

Wherever there's only a partial eclipse — you need to keep those solar specs on the whole time.

Best Places To Watch Eclipse In L.A. 

You may have to hunt to find a pair. Many stores in L.A. – such as 7-Eleven and Warby Parker – were sold out as of Saturday. 7-Eleven store clerks told CBS2 they were unclear if they were getting more glasses in before Monday. The Los Angeles Public Library, which had obtained a limited supply of free glasses, ran out weeks ago.

The Griffith Observatory, which is expected to get thousands of people Monday, sold out of glasses, but will have a limited supply Monday morning.

There are other options if you don't have eclipse glasses. You can look indirectly with a pinhole projector that you can make yourself. NASA has a number of designs on its website, including one made with a cereal box . Or grab a kitchen colander — that casts images of the eclipsed sun onto a screen at least 3 feet away.

What can happen when you look directly at the sun? You're essentially cooking your retina, the delicate, light-sensitive tissue deep inside the eyeball. Solar radiation can kill those cells. Hours can pass before you realize the extent of the damage.

Seconds are enough for retinal sunburn. And unlike with the skin, you can't feel it. The damage can be temporary or permanent.

Sunglasses won't work. Certified eclipse glasses or hand-held viewers are a must for direct viewing. Don't use eclipse glasses with filters that are crumpled, scratched or torn. If you can see any light besides the sun, it's time for new solar specs. Also beware if the eclipse glasses are older than 2015, when international safety standards were adopted.

Eclipse glasses can be worn directly over your prescription glasses or with contacts. As for binoculars, telescopes and cameras, high-quality solar filters are essential and must be mounted at the front end.

(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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