The Southeast will witness a 70% solar eclipse on Monday and a Steinbach optometrist says there are ways to protect our eyes during this phenomenon.

Tara King from Steinbach Professional Eyecare Centre says, just like it's not good for our eyes to look directly into the sun on any given day, it won't be good for our eyes on Monday either. King notes there are international standards (ISO 12312-2) which solar products must meet in order to be safe for use in viewing the sun.

Eclipse glasses are able to protect your eyes while allowing you to watch the solar eclipse."I think the biggest thing to know not to do is to not use homemade [eyeglass] filters, to not use regular sunglasses no matter how dark we think they may be, and to not use binoculars or cameras," notes King. "Even if you do have eclipse sunglasses it's important to not use binoculars or cameras with those eclipse glasses because the binoculars will, of course, magnify the sun's rays or more them more intense from their high-powered lenses."

She adds it's important to remember to put solar eclipse glasses on before looking at the sun, and then ensure you're turning away from the sun before taking them off to avoid direct eye contact with the sun, which could cause retinal solar burns. King says signs there has been retinal damage include blind spots which don't go away, redness and pain, which could be a sign of photokeratitis.