 Friday, April 5, 2024
Local retina expert stresses importance of eye protection while viewing the 2024 total solar eclipse
 Photo by Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
It is almost here! A total solar eclipse, so close to home. Excitement is building and people across the country are counting down the days in anticipation of viewing the celestial event on April 8.
The last total solar eclipse the United States experienced was on Aug. 21, 2017. A total solar eclipse is when the moon passes between planet earth and the sun, causing the sun’s light to be either fully or partially blocked – depending on location. As you are making your plans on where to view the event, a local retina expert is stressing the importance of protecting your eyes before looking up toward the sky.
Dr. Inder Singal is the interim medical director at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) and has also been serving Louisville Metro as a retina specialist since 2003.
“Sun gazing is always bad for the eyes, eclipse or not,” said Dr. Singal. “Less than one minute of direct sunlight exposure can cause permanent retina damage and loss of central vision. During the eclipse when the moon moves over the sun, our eyes dilate, exposing them to far more light as soon as the moon moves away. Sun gazing injury is a photo-oxidative damage to the outer layers of the retina. Meaning it can cause serious inflammation of the retina and can lead to chronic visual complications. This is why protecting your eyes is incredibly important.”
When viewing a total or partial solar eclipse, always look through safe solar viewing glasses, aka “eclipse glasses”. Eclipse glasses are not regular sunglasses. They are much darker and should comply with the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard for solar viewers. Looking through a camera lens, telescope or binoculars does not protect your eyes without a special solar filter.
Pets are equally susceptible to eye damage, so you should consider keeping them inside.
You can find eclipse glasses at stores and online for under $2. To learn more about eclipse eye safety visit NASA.gov.
    National Public Health Week honors
the superheroes who live among us
These are just some of the snapshots of the many public health superheroes that make up our dedicated team at Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness.
This week, we celebrate these dedicated public health professionals. These heroes make sure our neighborhoods are well-informed about communicable diseases, lead poisoning prevention, emergency preparedness, vaccine clinics, radon awareness, Narcan training, tick-borne illnesses and more. Other key roles ensure that our food is safe to eat, and our community has data on health outcomes and root causes of poor health.
We also salute the team members who build relationships with individuals and families, providing ways to give them a healthy start along with nutritional meals. Our lab provides timely and accurate test results for the numerous and varied clients of the Health Department, being community-oriented and focused on disease control and prevention.
Our jobs are interconnected and make a profound difference in Louisville.
Two young finalists give
Vaccine Media Competition their best shot
This poster designed by Greathouse/Shyrock Traditional Elementary School student Ria Garg was chosen to represent Louisville in the statewide Vaccine Media Competition.
Across Kentucky, public and private school students from kindergarten through 12th grade answered the call to illustrate the importance of routine childhood vaccines by designing a poster (elementary school), brochure (middle school), or 30-second video (high school) for a statewide Vaccine Media Competition. Submissions were due in February, and our judges at the Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness were pleased to receive multiple entries across two age groups this year.
After careful consideration, finalists from the elementary school poster contest and high school video contest were chosen to represent Louisville in the statewide competition.
Ria Garg, a third-grader at Greathouse/Shyrock Traditional Elementary School, was chosen as the winner of the poster contest. Headlining her poster is the sage advice “Be Wise, Immunize.” Her illustration shows Earth being immunized and protected by a shield from the nasty germs that want to invade. The people standing on the outside of the shield represent the defenders from disease – everyone who is vaccinated. For Ria, “When everyone is immunized, the world is stronger and healthier.”
Troy Lasick (pictured, right), a freshman at Eastern High School, was chosen as the winner of the video contest. Lasick's winning video was a breaking news report, highlighting why vaccines are important. He begins by describing that viruses are everywhere, and vaccines can help protect you against many of the most dangerous ones. He then turns it over to his colleague Linus Fursworth, a knowledgeable and adorable canine, to describe what vaccines are and why people, especially children, need them to protect against diseases. Be sure to click here to watch Troy’s video:
Ria and Troy were recognized at the KHSAA State Basketball Tournament game between Trinity and Pulaski County and awarded a certificate for their achievement.
While neither of our finalists won the statewide competition and $500 prize sponsored by the Kentucky Association of Health Care Plans (KAHP), we are very proud of their creativity, hard work, and commitment to keeping themselves and the community healthy and safe. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the many other students who used their time and talents to create posters and videos for this contest.
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Be a part of the Climate and Health Summit Community Conversation
Join the University of Louisville Envirome Institute from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 16 at the Seelbach Hilton Louisville, 500 S. 4th St., for a conversation with leading health and climate scientists in the country to address some of the major climate and health issues facing our community and what we can do to lessen the impact of natural disasters and extreme weather events in the future. The evening event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
The event will feature remarks from Mayor Craig Greenberg and University of Louisville President Kim Schatzel.
Changes in the global climate are leading to an increase in the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events and natural disasters. These events are likely to profoundly affect human health and well-being. Extreme weather events can inflict life-threatening injuries, pollution created by forest fires increases the risk of respiratory and cardiovascular disease, and extreme temperatures trigger heat strokes and heart attacks.
As the frequency of adverse climatic events is likely to increase in the future, it is important for us as a community to develop strategies to mitigate harm, increase resilience, and build the capacity to adapt to such climatic changes.
Refreshments and hors d'oeuvres will be served.
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