Annular Solar Eclipse in Jaffna - 26 December 2019 (8)

Solar viewer (also known as solar viewing glasses or solar eclipse glasses) are special

eyewear Eyewear consists of items and accessories worn on or over the eyes, for fashion or adornment, protection against the environment, and to improve or enhance visual acuity. Common forms of eyewear include glasses (also called ''eyeglasses'' or ''s ...

designed for direct viewing of the

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

. Standard sunglasses are unable to filter out eye damaging radiation. Solar viewers are required for safe viewing of solar events such as solar eclipse, eclipses. The recommended Absorbance, optical density of this eyewear is 5.

Safety

According to the American Astronomical Society (AAS) products meeting the International Organization for Standardization, ISO 12312-2 standard avoids risk damage, and issued a list of reputable vendors of eclipse glasses. The organization warned against products claiming ISO certification, or even citing the exact standard number, but not tested by an accredited laboratory, or those bearing incomplete certification information. Another problem was counterfeits of reputable vendors' products, some even claiming the company's name (such as with American Paper Optics which published information detailing the differences between its glasses and counterfeits). Eyewear made prior to 2015, may have a 3-year use limit before they can no longer effectively filter out UV radiation. Starting in 2015, products made with ISO 12312-2 can be used indefinitely as long as they have not been damaged by scratch or tear.

Counterfeit eclipse glasses

In the months leading to the solar eclipse of August 21, 2017, counterfeits of light-filtering glasses for solar eclipses began proliferating, leading to public health issues. Effective eclipse glasses filter visible, ultraviolet, ''and'' infrared light. The eye's retina lacks pain receptors, and thus damage could occur without one's awareness. Includes photos of genuine and fake eclipse glasses. The AAS said determining whether an eclipse viewer was safe required a Spectrophotometry, spectrophotometer and lab equipment, but often the user should see nothing through the filter except for the Sun, sunlight reflecting off of shiny metal, or intense light sources such as an LED flashlight. Andrew Lund, the owner of a vendor of eclipse glasses, noted that not all counterfeit glasses were necessarily unsafe. He stated to ''Quartz (website), Quartz'' that the counterfeits he tested blocked the majority of harmful light, concluding that "the Intellectual property, IP is getting ripped off, but the good news is there are no long-term harmful effects." On July 27, 2017, Amazon required all eclipse viewing products sold on its website have a submission of origin and safety information, and proof of an accredited ISO certification. In mid-August 2017, Amazon recalled and pulled listings for eclipse viewing glasses that "may not comply with industry standards", and gave refunds to customers who had purchased them.

References

{{Eyewear Eyewear Ophthalmology Prevention Fashion accessories Sun, Solar viewing glasses 2010s fashion

Safety

Counterfeit eclipse glasses

See also

References