Safety tips:
- Only use special eclipse glasses; regular sunglasses aren’t safe
- Wait for 100% totality before taking off your eclipse glasses. (If you don’t have eclipse glasses, wait for totality before looking at all)
- Have a timer prepared on your phone set to the duration of the eclipse at your location, so you know when to put your glasses back on.
- When the sun is mostly (but not fully) eclipsed, it will likely not feel painful to look at it, but it will still damage your eyes permanently.
I got flashed by the end of the totality and all I got was a small crescent in my vision for a minute.
As long as you’re not staring at it, it really isn’t that big of a deal. The unpleasantness will make you flinch when it’s time to stop looking.