Man has permanent vision damage from staring at sun during partial eclipse in 1962

OREGON CITY, Ore. -- An Oregon man who burned his retina while looking at a partial eclipse, is warning people about the dangers of viewing the solar eclipse without proper eye protection. 

Lou Tomososki and a friend viewed a partial eclipse outside of Marshall High School in 1962.

“The sun at that time, at 3:30 p.m., was in the one o’clock position,” said Tomososki. “I said to Roger, ‘If you stare at it long enough the brightness goes away.’”

What seemed like a silly dare at the time turned into one of the biggest mistakes of their lives. By nightfall, both Tomososki and his buddy were having vision problems.

“It doesn’t get any worse and it doesn’t get any better,” said Tomososki.

Both Tomososki and his friend, now 70 years old, have vision problems to this day.

“You know how the news people blur a license plate out,” said Tomososki. “That’s what I have on the right eye, about the size of a pea, I can’t see around that.”

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A doctor later told Tomososki his retina was burned during the partial eclipse. Dr. Brandon Lujan of the Casey Eye Institute said people should not look at the sun without eye protection during the total eclipse.

“I think anytime is too much,” Lujan told KGW-TV. “Anytime looking can do damage.”

Tomososki is living proof of that. He is excited about the eclipse on Aug. 21, but he will not be looking towards the sky.

“I’m going to go out and enjoy it,” he said. “But I’ll stand and watch it get dark.”