Are Your Eclipse Glasses Safe? Here's How to Tell
Watching an eclipse is one of the rarest, most awe-inspiring events you’ll ever have an opportunity to witness. There’s something that’s absolutely spellbinding about watching this relatively rare natural phenomenon.Â
Here at Rainbow Symphony, we’re passionate about eclipses, but we’re equally as obsessive about eclipse safety. Before every major eclipse event, you’ll likely see news stories about fake glasses flooding the market. Yet, fake glasses are not the only consideration when it comes to safety for viewing a solar eclipse. How is a person supposed to know for sure that their eyes are safe during a solar eclipse?
We don’t want anyone to have the joy of their eclipse experience diminished by using an unsafe pair of eclipse glasses. Here are a few tips to help you keep eclipse safety front and center.Â
Children should always be supervised
Everyone should have the opportunity to enjoy a solar eclipse. Eclipse glasses are not a toy. Make sure children are supervised by an adult.
Check The Inside Temple Of Your Glasses
Before you slip on a pair of eclipse glasses, ensure that they’ve been properly rated for eclipse viewing. Look for the ISO mark and ISO 12312-2:2015 This certifies that your glasses are safe for eclipse viewing. Make sure your glasses are from a reputable source. This information will also be on the inside of the frames. This rating is important because it denotes that the glasses have the proper certification to keep your eyes safe from harmful UV and IR radiation. Without this imprint, you cannot rely on the glasses to keep you safe.
Check the Lens in Your Solar Filters, Glasses, & Viewers
Don’t stop at checking for a certification. There are unscrupulous vendors and individuals that will print an ISO rating on their glasses, even though their glasses have no such certification. This is why eclipse safety also requires that you do a bit of visual inspection to ensure that your glasses are genuine. Start with the lenses. All our eclipse glasses, filters and viewers are ISO rated for safety. The lenses are very dark. The only light you should be able to see is the sun, a filament in a clear light bulb or a very bright LED.
Once you’ve done that, put your glasses on and attempt to view a bright light such as a bright LED bulb, flashlight, or even the sun’s reflection off a shiny object. You should notice that all of these types of lights seem extremely dim when viewed through the lenses of your eclipse glasses. In fact, you shouldn’t be able to see anything very well (if at all).Â
Purchase Your Glasses From A Reputable Dealer
Make sure your glasses are in good condition. Always check, whether you are reusing eclipse glasses from previous eclipses or a brand-new pair of eclipse glasses, check to make sure the frames and lenses are in good conditions without holes or separation from the frames. These lenses are very durable and it is a good practice to always check.
Make Sure Your Glasses Are In Good Repair
Eclipse safety is more than simply identifying a pair of fake glasses. You’ll also want to make sure your glasses are in good repair. Inspect your lenses carefully for any cracks, scratches, or other types of damage that would allow a light leak.
For almost 50 years, Rainbow Symphony has been on the cutting edge of engineering and producing the highest-quality Eclipse Shades, in addition to our other industry-leading products like Diffraction Grating Glasses and 3D Glasses, we pride ourselves on educating our customers on why eclipse safety is so vitally important.
