Jackson resident shares story after solar eclipse causes permanent eye damage

MADISON COUNTY Tenn. — “There’s no safe way to stare at the sun,” Mark Bedwell said.

As the nation prepares for the solar eclipse on Monday, one man is sharing his story one Facebook post at a time.

“This morning there were 50,000 shares. I have great new friends in my life, and that’s awesome,” Bedwell said.

Bedwell says he never knew a simple post would bring this kind of attention.

“Everything got very quiet, the birds quit singing and things like that. It was like night in the middle of the day,” Bedwell described.

He’s talking about the solar eclipse that happened on June 11, 1983. As the sky darkened, so did his vision.

“It was bright, and I kind of blinked it out. It was a little painful but nothing excruciating. Then it went away,” Bedwell said.

Bedwell says someone told him and his co-workers looking into exposed film would be the same as glasses.

“You’re staring straight at the sun, and those edges and things is where the danger is.”  Bedwell said.

It wasn’t until 10 years later he noticed something wasn’t right.

“This perfectly brown circle just popped up in my vision on the right side, and I kept blinking it out and not thinking anything else about it,” Bedwell said.

Doctors told him he experienced a solar retinal burn and that it was irreparable, but he says not to feel bad for him.

“I’m not blind. I can see, but I can’t see small print with this eye,” Bedwell said. “To tell you the truth, the other eye is getting to be an old eye, so it’s challenged.”

His main concern now is the small ones.

“The children. The classes of children that are being taken outside. I’m going to find it hard to believe that you’re going to make a whole class keep those glasses on,” Bedwell said.

What will Bedwell be doing on Monday?

“I’m not going to look at it,” Bedwell said. “I have one good eye left, so I’m going to keep this one.”