FORMER Risley worker Bob Brown was partially blinded when he stared at a solar eclipse for just a few seconds.

And now he is urging anyone tempted to watch the phenomenon that will plunge Britain into darkness next Wednesday to think again

Bob's eyes were permanently damaged during a partial solar eclipse in May, 1984, as he stood on the platform at Birchwood Station waiting for a train.

He was an apprentice at UK Atomic Energy, in Risley, and had just finished work when he noticed that the sun looked different and stared at it for a fleeting moment.

The 35 year old father of three said: "I hadn't realised there was an eclipse and it was only later in the evening that my eyes started to water and become sore and gritty.

"I went to the eye hospital the next day and they asked me if I had been welding because I had similar symptoms to arc-eye. I told them I hadn't and they asked me if I had looked at the sun. I said that I may have done briefly."

Bob was put through a series of painful and lengthy tests and the results showed that he had solar burns on the backs of his eyes.

He was told that there was nothing specialists could for his condition and that he would have to cope for the rest of his life with partial vision.

Bob describes his symptoms as being similar to staring at a light bulb for a few seconds and then looking away.

"You can still see the filament in your eyes for several seconds before the effect eventually wears off and my condition is like that, only permanent," he said. "I can even see the images when I close my eyes."

The blotches in Bob's vision are caused by the inability of the scarred retinal tissue in his eyes to focus an image. He is now forced to look at the object next to the one he wants to see to ensure it is not blocked out.

Bob, who currently lives in Horwich, said: "I could have been completely blinded. The sun is powerful and dangerous but people just don't realise.

"My advice is to watch the eclipse on television. Any risk is too much risk and if you look at the eclipse with naked eye you'll be looking at it forever."

For a free copy of the Royal National Institute for the Blind's eclipse fact sheet or general advice on serious sight problems call 0345 669999.

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