writertobridge:

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.”

The AAS has a page devoted entirely to what real ISO-compliant solar eclipse glasses look like.

This includes showing the correct text on the inside of the glasses. Click on this link to see the text.

According to the USA Today, there are only five companies that make eclipse glasses that are certified by the AAS and NASA: American Paper Optics, Baader Planetarium, Rainbow Symphony, Thousand Oaks Optical, and TSE 17. If you’re going to buy eclipse glasses used on eBay or another website, make sure that they come from one of these five manufacturers or have the correct text written inside.

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.

Please spread this post so more people can see it.

Thank you.