As Ontarians prepare for Monday’s solar eclipse, many are realizing that the solar viewing glasses they purchased may not be safe.
Amazon recently announced a recall of certain solar eclipse glasses that have not been approved by the American Astronomical Society and warned those affected not to use the glasses during the eclipse.
This post had variations on titles such as “2024 Approved Solar Eclipse Glasses, CE and ISO Certified Solar Eclipse Viewing Glasses, Sun Observation for Solar Eclipses.”
Carleton Place resident Joan MacDonald also fears she received unsafe eclipse glasses after seeing them on a TV news segment.
“There was something bad about the eclipse glasses. The glasses they wore were exactly the same as the ones they bought in Perth,” McDonald told CTV News Ottawa.
Ms McDonald said her glasses were purchased at a home hardware store in Perth.
Home Hardware declined to be interviewed, but told CTV News Ottawa it stands by its products and the glasses are sold out at its Perth store.
“(They) had an eclipse symbol on the side, it had the date on it and it said it was approved by NASA,” MacDonald said. [the report] I said those are not good glasses. ”
So how do you know if your solar eclipse glasses are safe for viewing Monday’s solar eclipse?
The American Astronomical Society (AAS) publishes a list of approved solar viewer manufacturers. At this link.
The AAS also says you can do a quick test indoors before looking at the sun with glasses. AAS states that when worn indoors, users should be unable to see anything through the lenses.
Many of the glasses on sale also claim to be “NASA approved.” NASA says it does not approve any particular brand of solar viewer.
All safety glasses must have filtered lenses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard.
The AAS warns that companies producing counterfeit products can print anything on the glasses, and urges buyers to check whether the brand is on their approved list.
With solar eclipse glasses in such high demand and no approved sets available, Ms McDonald fears she will miss out on this once-in-a-lifetime event.
“Well, what I’m concerned about is eye damage. I don’t want to take any chances,” McDonald said.
CTV News Ottawa will have special live coverage of the solar eclipse on Monday.
Tune in to CTVNewsOttawa.ca on April 8th from 2pm to 4pm. You can also tune in to Newstalk 580 CFRA for ongoing coverage.
CTV News reports from the Kingston, Brockville, Ottawa and Niagara regions.
