Amazon is recalling questionable eclipse glasses after asking third party vendors to prove their glasses were compliant with relevant safety standards.
A spokeswoman for Amazon said the company is not releasing a list of names that are being recalled because there are legitimate versions of glasses under the same names.
“There’s already been confusion on this point,” the spokeswoman said.
Here is Amazon’s statement:
“Out of an abundance of caution and in the interests of our customers, we asked third-party sellers that were offering solar eclipse glasses to provide documentation to verify their products were compliant with relevant safety standards. The offers from sellers who provided this safety documentation remain available to customers. The listings from sellers who did not provide the appropriate documentation have been removed and customers who purchased from them were notified last week. Customers can contact Amazon customer service with any questions or concerns.”
The American Astronomical Society last week that counterfeit eclipse glasses were "flooding the market" with product that may cause eye damage.
The AAS previously advised people to look for evidence that the glasses comply with international safety standards for filters of direct viewing of the sun by ensuring the following was printed on the glasses: ISO 12312-2.
The American Astronomical Society says it is no longer enough to check for ISO certification on eclipse glasses. Make sure they come from a reputable vendor also.
Regular sun glasses are not enough to keep out the harmful rays of the sun.
"What you absolutely should not do is search for eclipse glasses on the internet and buy whatever pops up in the ads or search results," AAS said.
AAS is now suggesting people ensure their glasses are ISO certified and come from reputable vendors that it has verified and listed on its website.
You cannot check yourself to see if your eclipse glasses are safe. But there are signs they are NOT safe.
- You should not be able to see anything through the lenses except the sun itself, or something comparably bright, such as sun reflected in a mirror.
- If you glance at the sun through your glasses and it is uncomfortably bright, the glasses are no good.
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