The upcoming solar eclipse taking place on Monday, August 21st has caused a lot of excitement across the country and caused people to go and purchase special "eclipse glasses" in order to view this rare event. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous organizations have attempted to take advantage of the event in order to make a quick profit. Many news organizations have been reporting on the sale of of fake eclipse glasses and solar viewers being sold. Some of these vendors are even going as far as to print fake ISO ratings on their glasses! Viewing a solar eclipse without the correct equipment is extremely dangerous and can lead to permanent eye damage and blindness!

If you have purchased a set of eclipse glasses or a solar viewer, it can be very difficult to tell whether or not you have the real thing. Only glasses and viewers verified by an accredited testing laboratory to meet ISO 12312-2 are safe to use when viewing the eclipse. This standard requires glasses and viewers to be thousands of times darker than typical sunglasses. However, since some glasses are being printed with fake listings, a link to a list of reputable vendors selling equipment that has been tested and is safe for viewing has been provided below.

For more information, visit the US Fire Administration's website.