SUN-watchers have been warned they could risk their eyesight by staring at this summer's eclipse.

Millions are expected to turn out on August 11 to watch the once-in-a-lifetime event. People in the South West will see Britain's first total eclipse since 1927, while in East Lancashire 95 per cent of the sun will be covered.

But gazing at the sun, even for a few seconds, can cause damage to the retina which could lead to permanent blindness. A partial eclipse in Manchester in 1994 left 11 people partially blinded for life.

Optician David Cleasby, of Specsavers, Burnley, is travelling to Somerset with his children to see the event but will be taking specialist dark glasses to protect their vision.

He said: "If you focus the sun through a lens onto a piece of paper, it burns the paper. The same thing happens when sunlight is focussed through the lens of your eye.

"The back of your eye will blister and form scars which will permanently affect your vision.

"It's even worse if you look through a binocular or camera lens. The light is focussed more sharply and it would burn your eye in a matter of seconds." Hazy sunlight is just as dangerous and sunglasses, even if they have UV filters, offer no protection.

Peter Drew, of the Astronomy Centre, Todmorden, said: "Sunglasses can still let things like infra-red through, which you are not aware of until it's too late.

"Although only five per cent of the sun will be visible, it will still be too bright to look at."

The moon will take an hour to pass in front of the sun.

At about 11am, only a thin sliver of the top of the sun will be visible.

Mr Drew will be holding an open day at the Bacup Road centre, using specialist equipment to view the eclipse safely and recording it with a video camera shielded with protective filters.

The Vision Express optician branches in Preston and Bolton and local cinemas will be handing out pinhole viewing cards, which project an image of the sun onto a postcard, so sun-lovers can experience the eclipse safely.

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