St. Luke’s Health System is using a music video spoof to remind people to protect their eyes during the upcoming solar eclipse.
Remember Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart?” This new version, written by Treasure Valley nurse Jean Richardson is titled “It’s a Total Eclipse, I’ll be Smart.” In the music video nurses, doctors, a therapy dog and administrators sing and dance while wearing eclipse glasses.
St. Luke’s makes no secret of the fact that the video is cheesy, they say that was the intent. The idea came from a meeting where St. Luke’s was working on emergency planning for the eclipse. The Public Relations Manager says, “every time someone said the word eclipse, she’s instinctively start singing the Tyler song to herself.” Before long, it had turned into a spoof video.
During the first 24 hours it was posted on the hospital’s Facebook page it had been watched 24,000 times. St. Luke’s hopes the silly video will remind people to be serious about protecting their eyes with special eclipse glasses.
St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital Ophthalmologists has the following tips for watching the eclipse:
- Don't look directly at the sun without proper eye protection. Direct viewing can cause damage to the retina, called solar retinopathy. Solar retinopathy can result in permanent loss of vision, distorted vision and loss of color perception.
- Use solar filters to safely look directly at the sun. Make sure you choose the right one: the filter must meet a very specific worldwide standard known as ISO 12312-2. Free eclipse glasses will be available throughout the region, including at local public libraries.
- Carefully inspect your solar glasses for any flaws in the lenses before you use them.
- Do not use dark sunglasses or homemade solar filters. They are NOT SAFE for viewing the sun.
- Do not use cameras, telescopes or binoculars to view the eclipse UNLESS they're equipped with a special solar filter. Even when used with eclipse glasses, cameras, telescopes or binoculars without solar filters are not safe.
- Children and young adults are at the highest risk of solar retinopathy during an eclipse because the natural lens in their eyes is very clear. Make sure that any child watching the eclipse understands the danger of looking directly at the sun and can follow instructions regarding the use of eclipse glasses.
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