There’s an incredible amount of excitement going into next weeks solar eclipse here in the United States. If you’ve been planning to watch the eclipse yourself and have “solar eclipse” glasses that you bought from Amazon, then check your email. TechCrunch is reporting that over the past 24 hours, Amazon has sent out recall notices to tens of thousands of buyers of the glasses because they were not able to verify the glasses were safe and met the certification standards to view the eclipse safely.
NASA has put out a checklist for you and your family to view the solar eclipse safely. They have also linked a list of reputable vendors and suppliers of solar glasses that meet or exceed the ISO 12312-2 safety standard. Check to make sure your solar glasses are produced by a reputable supplier and were delivered through a reputable dealer.
If you have received the email from Amazon about the glasses you’ve purchased not meeting the safety standards, then do not use the glasses. Your eyesight may be permanently damaged if viewing the sun without proper eye protection. Films and filters made for viewing through equipment like a DSLR and lens that do not meet the ISO 12312-2 safety standard do not filter all the harmful light and should not be used for direct viewing of the eclipse.
If you want to view the eclipse but don’t have the solar glasses, or your glasses can now not be verified that they meet the safety standards, you can use solar projection. This way is safe and now multiple people can enjoy the solar eclipse without any negative effects.
[via TechCrunch]
These paper glasses never looked that "safe" to me but I tried a pair on the other day and they were so freaking dark that I couldn't imagine much getting through them.
I got a 4-pack of plastic glasses that claimed it had all the certifications (ICE, ISO, etc.) and had lots of great reviews. I also bought an aluminized mylar telescope filter for sun viewing (since the glass ones were too expensive for me). I have been practicing getting sun shots and have therefore looked at the sun many times through both the glasses and through my optical viewfinder with the solar filter on. I had been very happy with my purchase and was quite surprised to get the email from amazon that they were recommending that I DO NOT use the products and would be receiving an amazon credit for their value (the solar filter was $45). The sun isn't even as bright through those glasses as a full moon is on a clear night. I think I'm going to ignore amazon's warning.
By the way, they have taken down the listings for both of the products I purchased. I went on to buy some cheap paper glasses but now that there is no competition they have jacked the price up on those to ridiculous levels ($150 for a 10-pack of PAPER glasses with a flimsy plastic film lens!?).