I know a lot of people in the US are super excited for the eclipse on August 21st. I’m in that group. But if you’re going to look at the eclipse, you need solar eclipse glasses. No sunglasses. And don’t even think about going with no eye protection at all. You can go blind if you look at the eclipse. Going without solar eclipse glasses is NOT optional.
That said, there are people cashing in on the solar eclipse craze. They’re making fake eclipse glasses. The Seattle Times reported on the fakes on August 8th and spoke with a spokesperson for the American Astronomical Society (AAS) about it. Even if the fake glasses seem safe, they’re not. Richard Tresch Fienbern from the AAS explained:
“The problem with fakes is that you can’t know if they’re letting unsafe levels of solar ultraviolet and/or infrared radiation into your eyes. You’d never know until it’s too late because our retinas don’t have pain receptors.”
Fake eclipse glasses can look incredibly convincing. Here is a pair that my mom purchased on eBay.
If you have some solar eclipse glasses already, look for this code:
ISO 12312-2
If that code is not on your solar eclipse glasses do not wear them. Even if they are safe, it is not worth the risk. You can do irreversible damage to your eyes if you look at an eclipse without the right eye wear. This includes blindness. Again, you can go blind if you look at an eclipse with improper eye wear.
Be safe. Get the real deal. The links have been provided to you above.
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