Approved Solar Eclipse Glasses A Must For Eye Safety

Unknown to many people, the solar eclipse on August 21 can cause permanent damage to your eyes if proper safety glasses are not used. Staring at the eclipse for 100 seconds will burn your retinas causing permanent damage to your eyes and even the top sunglasses won’t be able to help. These special eclipse glasses are a hot commodity as of late, but with that a multitude of knockoffs are popping up. Most of these knockoffs are being sold on Amazon and are hard to distinguish from the real ones.

There are currently companies that NASA is advocating people should buy to ensure safety. These companies have the certification ISO 12312-2 which is an international standard and the manufacturer’s name and address on the product. There are five companies that are deemed trustworthy: American Paper Optics (APO), Baader Planetarium (AstroSolar Silver/Gold film only), Rainbow Symphony, Thousand Oaks Optical, and TSE 17.  Counterfeit products are being sold on Amazon claiming to be these companies so the best way to buy is directly through these companies or at places like Walmart, Lowes, Home Depot, and Target. Some counterfeits are claiming to meet the ISO 12312-2 standard; however, their claim has not been certified yet to prove this claim. This can make buying a product not from the 5 approved companies dangerous. Also some companies are getting certification in other countries such as China with less strict standards.

All in all, enjoy the excitement of the once in a lifetime opportunity of a solar eclipse passing through the heartland of the USA, but keep your eyes a top concern as it can be dangerous. Only buy from the approved companies, and don’t wait to buy the glasses as they will sell out sooner rather than later. Have a safe eclipse day from MN Health Insurance Network.