It’s a party not to miss. But be sure to have a pair of safety solar eclipse glasses. Your eyes will thank you.
Many businesses around the Dallas-Fort Worth area have their customer’s eyes in mind, giving out free eclipse glasses with a purchase. You can also buy the protective eye wear. But how do you know if they are actually protective?
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Jo Trazila learned during the 2017 solar eclipse the importance of preparation. Her daughter was not able to watch the eclipse because the glasses they had were counterfeit. So, she began a business in North Texas that sells ISO 12312-2 international safety standards-approved eyewear.
She is shipping out glasses, only to those local to Fort Worth, until April 4. You can buy in a package of ten or bulk.
For those who miss the April 4 deadline, there are stores in Fort Worth that have protective eye wear. Note that before visiting a store, you may want to check online if they have solar eclipse glasses in stock.
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Walmart
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Lowes
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Target
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Natural Grocers, free with purchase
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Ace Hardware
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Fort Worth Public Library, all locations on April 6 (look at what time your location opens), while supplies last
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Kleiman Evangelista Eye Centers of Texas, free, one per person, while supplies last
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Chroma Modern Eyewear Eyecare, free, one per person, while supplies last
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Warby Parker locations, free, two per person, while supplies last
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Amazon has one day delivery for solar eclipse glasses, however check to see the glasses you are buying are safety approved.
How to know if your solar eclipse glasses are safety approved
To know if your solar eclipse glasses will actually protect your eyes, check if they meet the ISO safety standards.
“Filters that are ISO 12312-2 compliant not only reduce visible sunlight to safe and comfortable levels but also block all but a tiny fraction of solar UV and IR radiation.” according to Solar Eclipse across America.
Unfortunately, you cannot check whether the filter is ISO compliant yourself. And another thing to beware of companies that stamp their glasses with the ISO logo when they are not actually lab approved.
The AAS Solar eclipse task force recommends buying from reputable sources, or check their compiled list of safe manufacturers.
“If we don’t list a supplier, that doesn’t mean their products are unsafe — there are just too many brick-and-mortar and online sources of solar viewers and filters for us to vet them all. But they all get their products from a relatively small number of manufacturers, and we list as many as we can that have convinced us their products are safe,” according to AAS.