How do you know if YOUR solar eclipse glasses are safe when counterfeit products are flooding Amazon? Experts warn that regular sunglasses can scorch your retina

By William On Apr 8, 2024

Experts are urging people to check that their glasses are safe to view the eclipse through. If not, it could lead to people’s eyes being set on fire.

Regular sunglasses are no good because they don’t block enough visible, ultraviolet, or infrared light. The same applies to telescopes and binoculars without filters.

Eclipse sight glasses that block 99 percent of ultraviolet light have been sold out in many places for weeks, while counterfeit glasses flood Amazon, eBay and Temu.

Fortunately, there is an easy way to determine whether the glasses you purchased protect your eyes from scorching.

And if you waited too long to buy glasses, or yours are fake, there are simple eclipse viewers you can make at home from a cereal box or paper plates.

The only eclipse glasses that can be safely used to view the eclipse are glasses labeled ‘ISO 12312-2’ or ‘ISO 12312-2:2015’. This label means that the glasses meet the safety standards of the International Organization for Standardization.

READ MORE: Masters fans handed goggles at Augusta

“We’re experiencing a solar eclipse and Augusta on the same day,” one fan commented. ‘Not bad.’

The only glasses you should use to catch a glimpse of the celestial phenomenon are glasses that meet the international standard ISO 12312-2, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA).

This standard, established by the International Organization for Standardization, specifies that the glasses in question reduce visible sunlight to safe levels and block both ultraviolet and infrared radiation.

Ultraviolet radiation is most damaging to the retina, while infrared radiation can generate heat that causes thermal damage.

If you purchased eclipse glasses, they should be labeled “ISO 12312-2” somewhere.

It is often on the arm.

It can also be written as ‘ISO 12312-2:2015’, which means the same thing.

In both cases, your glasses should protect you.

Although President Donald Trump took a peek in 2017, it’s not safe to look directly at a solar eclipse because it can burn the retina in your eyes — the part that captures light and sends the signals to your brain.

You may be tempted to take a quick look at the eclipse, as Donald Trump did during the 2017 solar eclipse, but the resulting damage could be irreparable.

A family poses for a photo wearing large eclipse glasses in front of the pagoda at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Indianapolis, Monday, April 8, 2024.

People across the US are preparing to catch a glimpse of the rare event on Monday, including golf fans at the Masters in Augusta, Georgia, where organizers have handed out official tournament-issued solar binoculars.

When the moon passes within view of the sun, the sun will be completely eclipsed for people on the so-called ‘path of totality’.

For about four minutes, the moon will completely block the sun.

But outside that narrow window, and for anyone not on the path of totality, there is no time when it will be safe to look directly at the sun.

That’s the reason for solar eclipse viewing glasses.

A simple solar eclipse viewer can be made by cutting a hole in a paper plate. You can see how the light shines through on another plate, which shows the shadow of the eclipse as it passes.

It is not safe to view the solar eclipse through regular sunglasses, smoked glass, a telescope or other optical magnifying glass without a filter, or with a polarized filter.

Some people report using a welding mask to view eclipses, which is fine as long as you know they meet the ISO 12312-2 standard.

The standard requires that the glasses block at least 97 percent of infrared light and 99.9968 percent of visible light.

If you choose to view the solar eclipse without proper protection, the result may be “eclipse blindness.”

This condition “occurs when the eyes are exposed to the sun and the light exposure damages or destroys the cells in the retina,” the AOA says. said.

If you don’t have eclipse glasses, you can make an eclipse viewer to look at it indirectly.

A simple solar eclipse viewer can be made by cutting a hole in a paper plate.

You can see how the light shines through on another plate, which shows the shadow of the eclipse as it passes.

Another method, a little more complex, is a grain eclipse viewer:

How to make an eclipse viewer for a cereal box?

Materials:

Breakfast cereal box
Aluminium foil
Pair of scissors
Pushpin
Rule
Pencil
Adhesive tape

Directions:

Use scissors to cut the two small tabs on the lid.
Use a ruler and pencil to mark an inch from either end of the two larger tabs. Remove these pieces with the scissors.
Fold the rest of the two larger tabs down to ‘close’ the lid and secure with tape.
Cover one opening with a piece of aluminum foil. Secure with tape so there are no holes. Make a hole in the center of the foil with the thumbtack.

How to use:

Go outside on a sunny day. Find the sun and turn your back to it. Hold the box so that the edge with the hole points toward the sun.
Bring the edge of the box with the viewing window toward your face.
Look through the viewing window at the very narrow edge of the box opposite the hole to observe the sun. The sun appears as a bright point of light on the narrow part of the box. Tip: It may take some maneuvering until you get the box and your eye at the right angle.