The total solar eclipse will be visible to millions of people in North America on April 8, and experts warn that it’s vital everyone wears proper eye protection. But there are some conspiracy theorists on TikTok and X who are insisting the experts are lying and that it’s completely safe to just stare at the eclipse.
Some of the theories that it’s fine to stare at the eclipse are rooted in nothing more than a belief that everyone should just ignore experts.
“If they’re telling us to not look at the eclipse, it’s prolly good for us to LOOK AT THE ECLIPSE,” one X user wrote on Wednesday.
Other users shared their own experiences, including people who say they regularly stare at the sun, an activity known as sungazing that’s popular among some fringe New Age communities.
“I’ve always looked at eclipses plus almost every day I will stare at the sun for about 5 minutes. I’m not blind yet. They lied about that,” another X user chimed in.
That kneejerk desire to be contradictory has always been around, of course, but it gained considerable steam on social media after a massive right-wing campaign to doubt anything health experts said in the wake of the covid-19 pandemic. But there are other rationales as well. Some theories hinge on the idea that it’s safe to look at the eclipse because… the Earth is actually flat. Seriously.
“When the eclipse happens, ditch the glasses. They are a lie,” one account on X claimed. “Look at it with your eyes, and the flat earth truth will be revealed. The glasses are not to protect your eyes… they are to protect their LIES!”
The X account shared a video from TikTok that insists the Earth is actually flat and staring at the sun during the eclipse will help people realize that fact. Many of the flat Earthers also seem to believe they can find answers in ancient religious texts, especially books not included in the Bible.
“None of these things are three-dimensional above us. They’re all inside the firmament. Boom. Read the Book of Enoch for further explanation,” one TikToker said.
There are also TikTok creators who have been claiming the eclipse “glasses scam” is just a way for companies to make money selling eyewear. By discouraging people from looking at the sun, they say, “people can see just by common sense that the sun is not 93 million miles away.”
To be clear, people who are in the path of totality—the sections of Earth where the sun will be completely blocked by the Moon—wouldn’t be harmed by looking at the sun in those brief minutes when it’s completely blocked, as the American Academy of Ophthalmology notes. But most experts say not to risk it, since it can be hard to time precisely when the sun starts peeking out again.
Dr. Ronald Benner, president of the American Optometric Association, told Gizmodo last month that retinal tissue can be irreversibly damaged by staring at the sun.
“Once that tissue has been damaged, it’s up to the body to try to repair it. There is no medication, there is no treatment, there are no workarounds. And that’s why we take this so seriously, because once it’s done, it’s done,” Benner said.
TikTokers have been convinced that the eclipse on April 8 will bring about all kinds of apocalyptic things, including everything from the biblical rapture (where God causes all the true believers to disappear into the heavens, leaving the unbelievers behind on Earth) to the end of the so-called simulation that defines our current reality. So it’s almost refreshing to hear conspiracy theories with lower stakes, like the idea that eclipse glasses are just a way to make money.
Be careful out there on Monday, folks. Aside from people who insist staring at the eclipse won’t be harmful, there are reports of scammers selling eclipse-viewing glasses that aren’t actually protective. Make sure you check to see if your glasses have the string of letters and numbers: ISO 12312-2.
And if you do get raptured, please drop us a line. We assume Heaven has internet access by now and would love to hear from you.
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