“We are concerned because there has been a flood of counterfeit copies of glasses that have hit the market. It’s sometimes, it’s hard to tell,” manufacturer Mark Margolis tells Inside Edition.
As excitement builds for Monday’s solar eclipse, many people are aware of the dangers of looking directly at the sun without proper glasses. Now, buyers should also beware of solar eclipse viewers that could be dangerous to your eyesight. Inside Edition caught up with a man selling glasses from China on Craigslist that experts say are not legitimate.
On April 8, millions of Americans will be gazing up at the sky to catch a glimpse of the celestial event. But, to see it safely you must have solar eclipse glasses.
Manufacturer Mark Margolis says looking at the sun without approved glasses can burn your retinas.
“We are concerned because there has been a flood of counterfeit copies of glasses that have hit the market. It’s sometimes, it’s hard to tell,” Margolis tells Inside Edition.
Inside Edition found an ad on Craigslist offering 500 pairs of glasses for $100. “You can watch the total solar eclipse with absolute confidence in your eye safety,” the ad claimed.
An Inside Edition producer went undercover to meet up with the man selling the glasses on Craigslist. Turns out, he is a financial manager based in Manhattan.
When asked where he got the sunglasses, the man said, “A buddy of mine. He’s selling these all over the country. Like, really, he’s probably sold a container full from China.”
He told the producer that the classes had been tested by “two different service cases in China”
He then admitted the glasses were not official.
“Up here it says, you know, official glasses. There’s nothing official about it,” he said.
When it was revealed he was talking to an Inside Edition producer, the man left, leaving his bag of glasses behind.
Inside Edition shipped the glasses to Dr. Ralph Chou in Toronto, known as the world’s leading expert in eclipse eye safety.
“People are trying to make a buck these days,” Chou says. “I’m really concerned about it. I’m not sure that it is truly safe. If you have any doubts, don’t use it,”
The glasses the man was trying to sell say “NASA approved” on them, but NASA tells Inside Edition "they do not approve any solar viewer."
NASA further tells Inside Edition: ""The glasses NASA has purchased were manufactured in the US. That design [on the glasses being sold on Craigslist] does not look like any of the designs we have purchased."
According to information on the website for Solar Eclipse Across America, “You shouldn't be able to see anything through a safe solar filter except the Sun itself or something comparably bright."
“If you can see shaded lamps or other common household light fixtures (not bare bulbs) of more ordinary brightness through your eclipse glasses or handheld viewer, and you're not sure the product came from a reputable vendor, don't use it. Safe solar filters produce a view of the Sun that is comfortably bright (like the full Moon) and in focus. If you glance at the Sun through your solar filter and find it uncomfortably bright, don't use it,” the site reads.
Solar Eclipse Across America has a list of eclipse glasses suppliers that meet the safety requirements.
According to NASA, safety guidelines for viewing an eclipse include looking at the sun through eclipse glasses during partial eclipse phases before and after totality.
NASA says you can only view the eclipse directly without proper eye protection with the moon completely obscuring the Sun in a brief moment known as totality.
“You’ll know it’s safe when you can no longer see any part of the Sun through eclipse glasses of a solar viewer,” according to NASA. “As soon as you see even a little bit of the bright Sun reappear after totality, immediately put your eclipse glasses back on or use a handheld solar view to look at the Sun.”
NASA also says not to look at the sun through camera lenses, telescopes, binoculars, or any other optical device while wearing eclipse glasses as concentrated solar rays will burn through the filter and cause serious eye injury.
For those who do not have glasses, people can use an indirect viewing method, like pinhold projection or optical projection.
As watching an eclipse may result in being in front of the sun for a long period of time, NASA says to wear sunscreen, a hat, and protective clothing to prevent skin damage.
The American Astronomical Society’s Solar Eclipse Task Force is now warning people to be on the lookout for counterfeits. They say compliant glasses must be ISO-certified and list both the name of the manufacturer and their address on the glasses.
The glasses being sold to Inside Edition did not have the name of the manufacturer or the manufacturer’s address on them.
