Fake solar eclipse glasses reported; here’s how to gauge the real thing

• By Kevin Stairiker/LNP | LancasterOnline

Fake eclipse glasses that could leave users injured – perhaps even damaging their eyesight permanently – are being reported by the American Astronomical Society.

A currently unidentified company based in China has been selling potentially unsafe glasses imprinted with the name of a Chinese manufacturer, Cangnan County Qiwei Craft Co., that creates real eclipse glasses. The unsafe glasses are reported to be no darker than regular sunglasses, which would cause damage to the cornea if used to view the sun during the eclipse.

Solar eclipse glasses are important because they are used to block out all but a meager percentage of the sun’s light, making it safe to view. Due to the safety concerns, eclipse glasses are nearly 1,000 times darker than everyday sunglasses.

Kerry Hensley of the American Astronomical Society says that the organization utilizes a task force to assess the safety of eclipse glasses.

“The task force isn’t testing them in a lab, they’re more looking for the proper documentation on these glasses,” Hensley said. “Anyone can write on the side of a solar filter and put the ISO standard. Part of the process that the task force goes through is looking to make sure that the manufacturer can provide reliable documentation that the glasses meet the standards.”

 

Those worried about the safety of their glasses can test them indoors and outdoors. According to the AAS, certified glasses will prevent you from seeing anything except very bright lights, and even those should appear very faint. When you are inside, you shouldn’t be able to see anything, and if you’re outside, only the light of the sun should be visible.

In 1999, a study in England found 20 people who complained of spots on their eyes after a solar eclipse. Of the 20, 15 hadn’t used any eye covering whatsoever to view the eclipse.

Additionally, genuine eclipse glasses will be branded with the code “ISO 12312-2.” This designation comes from the International Organization for Standardization and meets the worldwide standard for looking at the sun from an unmagnified perspective.

Experts say that if you have eclipse glasses from a previous eclipse, make sure that no obvious damage has occurred in the time since if you want to use them again. Glasses created since the ISO standard was introduced in 2015 are generally regarded as safe to use again.

American Astronomical Society-approved North American solar eclipse brands include:

-Thousand Oaks Optical

-American Paper Optics

-Rainbow Symphony

-Halo Eclipse Spectacles

-Daystar Filters

-Seymour Solar

-Flip’n Shades

There is also a way to sidestep the glasses issue entirely, and that is by using a pinhole projector.

To make a pinhole projector, take a manilla folder and cut it in half, poke a hole in one half and set the other half down on the ground diagonally against something so that it is facing towards the sun. Then, with your back towards the sun, hold the folder up so that the small light passing through the hole you punctured is now reflecting on the second piece of folder. Watch then as the small light reflecting through the hole in the folder changes as the eclipse occurs. Do not look directly at the sun through the hole in the folder.