Originally Posted by
headinclouds
Don't get anxious over not having eclipse glasses. The total phase does not require any protection. And it is the total phase that is the experience. You may miss the final seconds of the partial phase before 2nd contact, but no big deal. By the way, I bought my pack of 25 glasses for $25 back in Feb. even though i had several pair of safe glasses from prior solar eclipses.
It's true that
you can look at the corona during totality. The dangerous part is the near-totality before and after totality. At that time, you won't feel discomfort while looking at the mostly-blocked sun, but its rays can be permanently damaging your retina.