Read our Privacy noticeThe government is warning Britons to view the upcoming solar eclipse with a colander to avoid causing permanent damage to their eyesight. The partial solar eclipse will be visible across the UK on 12 August. Royal Museums Greenwich, which runs the Royal Observatory, said that it will be the most complete solar eclipse since 1999. After the 1999 solar eclipse, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists reported about 70 cases of vision problems among viewers. Ordinary sunglasses do not provide adequate protection for viewing a solar eclipse – no matter how dark they may be, the UKHSA said.