As hundreds of thousands of people in the metro count down the days to watch the total solar eclipse on August 21, many are preparing by buying special sunglasses to watch the rare phenomenon.
Experts warn against staring directly at the sun, which could permanently damage the eyes. That’s why they suggest all solar eclipse watchers use eclipse glasses and filters.
“There are only a few dozen lenses with the right kind of calibration that can be used to view the eclipse,” said Dr. Ajay Singh, an ophthalmologist at Discover Vision Center. The right glasses “block off most of the light but still allows you to see what you need to see.”
But some of those glasses could be fakes. Unfortunately, NASA said there is an uptick of counterfeit glasses being sold online.
The danger is they’re not safe. They will not protect your eyes.
Spotting a fake
To spot a counterfeit, here is what you need to look for:
1. Certification Number
The glasses should have certification information inside the cardboard earpiece, with a designated ISO 12312-2 international standard.
2. They should be dark
When you put on the glasses, you should not be able to see anything but the sun.
3. NASA recommends five manufacturers:
- American Paper Optics
- Baader Planetarium (AsroSolar Silver/ Gold film only)
- Rainbow Symphony
- Thousand Oaks Optical
- TSE 17
