As pairs of eclipse-viewing glasses sell out ahead of the April 8 total solar eclipse, experts have so far had welcome news for those worried about glasses scams.
“We've never seen any glasses or heard of unsafe glasses,” said Rick Feinberg, project manager of the American Astronomical Society's Solar Eclipse Task Force.
Viewing the bright rays of the eclipse without protective glasses can cause serious damage to the retina of the eye, so wearing a pair of protective glasses is critical. With online sites like Amazon listing thousands of eclipse watchers, fears of fake or counterfeit glasses have grown.
While Feinberg isn't concerned about the proliferation of unsafe glasses on the market, some glasses for sale display false or misleading information on their packaging or design.
“We're seeing glasses coming in from China that are either made in the U.S. or printed by one of the U.S. manufacturers,” Feinberg said.
When in doubt, buyers should check the listing Official sellers and manufacturers maintained by AAS, which directly communicates with vendors and manufacturers and verifies test reports. Manufacturers must independently test their glasses at two top laboratories in the United States to secure a spot.
This list includes well-known North American manufacturers such as American Paper Optics, as well as many major grocery and retail chains in the United States such as Walmart, Lowe's and Kroger.
NASA shares an easy way to find eclipse glasses at home.
Buyers must put on their glasses and look at a bright light, such as a flashlight. Susanna Darling of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center said in an instructional video that the glasses are safe if the light is “very dim” or not visible. Viewers can see the filament of the bulb, not the glow around the bulb.
Glasses can only be safely tested with a household lightbulb and never with the sun, Darling said. Eclipse glasses with scratches or damage are not safe to use.
Further:What does a total solar eclipse look like? Photos from past events show what to expect in 2024
What is the standard of eclipse glasses?
The current international standard for solar eclipse viewers, called ISO 12312-2, was adopted nine years ago after the International Organization for Standardization, according to the AAS.
“Prior to 2015, there were standards for solar observers,” Feinberg said. After receiving signatures from every country in the world, ISO 12312-2 “became the global standard for the safety of observers, used for direct viewing of the sun,” he said.
The new standard also replaced NASA's official guidance, which previously “insisted that pinhole projection or optical projection, not direct viewing, is the only safe way to observe the eclipse,” Feinberg said.
Amazon is recalling eclipse glasses ahead of the 2017 eclipse
But problems arose in validating the standard ahead of the 2017 solar eclipse. With eclipse-viewing supplies in short supply, the market was suddenly flooded with Chinese-made eclipse viewers, primarily for sale on Amazon, that claimed on the label to be ISO certified without concrete proof.
“Anyone can print it on anything,” Feinberg said. “That doesn't mean it's true.”
In the weeks leading up to the eclipse, warnings about fake eclipse glasses caused panic, with some people taking off their glasses and missing the entire experience, Feinberg said.
Further:Millions will be able to see the total solar eclipse. What to know about safety, festivals.
Meanwhile, Amazon offered full refunds to customers who purchased some eclipse glasses that the shipping company determined were not up to “industry standards.”
Feinberg got involved when a certified seller reached out because Amazon had taken down their listings.
“I got this panicked phone call from a seller I've known for years that all of our products had been pulled from Amazon, and apparently they were pulling them all,” Feinberg recalled.
Feinberg said he contacted Amazon directly and urged the company to put the products back, but he fears some sellers may have rode the wave with sketchy documentation for their eclipse glasses and relisted their products.
Feinberg believes that some sellers have submitted documents to Amazon as proof of certification over the years that look legitimate to an untrained eye, but they haven't seen the quantitative results of a security test. He receives his own share of similarly fraudulent documents from manufacturers claiming a place on the AAS list.
Feinberg said that “countless” sellers on Amazon do not provide evidence that their glasses come from an authorized manufacturer. AAS surveyors have no way of telling, even though many catalogs have the same images as the ISO 12312-2 test reports from the listed manufacturers.
“I still see people writing, 'I want to be on your list. Here's my manufacturer's certificate in China,' and it's the same bogus statement I've already seen 20 times,” he said. said.
An Amazon spokesperson told USA TODAY, “We ensure our selection meets industry-accepted standards, and we develop innovative tools to prevent unsafe products from being listed. We constantly monitor our store, and if our automated checks detect a product that isn't detected, we immediately resolve the issue.” We are refining our controls.”
Further:How long will solar eclipse darkness last in your city? Explore these interactive maps.
Tests show that most glasses are safe
In retrospect, the alarm about Chinese-made glasses may have been overblown, Feinberg said. The vast majority of glasses, including those from Chinese manufacturers, appear to be safe.
“We've seen a few, we've seen little outliers,” he added. “They fail to meet the standard by a small amount.”
Those tests led AAS regulators to relax their safety requirements ahead of this year's eclipse. Feinberg and two colleagues also submitted a plan to loosen the international standard, which he hopes will be passed next year.
While AAS hasn't encountered seriously defective glasses, Feinberg still recommends against buying an older pair from Amazon.
“There is no way for the average citizen to confirm that eclipse glasses are safe,” he said. “We have no reason to suspect that the material is unsafe, but we don't want to advertise it without being sure.”
Cybele Mayes-Osterman is a feature news reporter for USA Today. Reach her at [email protected]. Follow her on X @CybeleMO.
