What happens if you look directly at the sun during the solar eclipse

Dr. Jacob Chung, Chief of Opthalmology at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center, answered our burning (ahem) questions about what'll happen if you just can't help but take a peek — sans ISO-approved glasses — during the big event.

If you look at it for a second or two, nothing will happen. Five seconds, I'm not sure, but 10 seconds is probably too long and 20 seconds is definitely too long.

The retina can't heal itself, so the blind spot is permanent and cannot be treated, but definitely, go see a doctor to make sure it's the right diagnosis.

If you're in that 70-mile swath where you'll be able to see the total eclipse you have about a two-minute window where the sun is 100 percent eclipsed.

Because we have a partial eclipse, there is a zero-second window where it's safe to look at the sun directly. It's more dangerous during the eclipse is because you don't feel much discomfort, yet your eyes are receiving all the harm. It's similar to getting sunburned on a cloudy day.

UCJ, UNILORIN.