I’m an expert on solar eclipses. I'm the editor of WhenIsTheNextEclipse.com and author of The Complete Guide To The Great North American Eclipse of April 8, 2024.
How can you tell if solar eclipse glasses are fake? In the world of solar eclipse glasses, there’s a number that you should always look for to ensure you’re using safe, vetted products. That number isIf only it were that simple. Whatever it says on your eclipse glasses, be prepared that they may still be counterfeit.
“The silver black polymer film that’s used in the eclipse glasses and viewers is a product that we developed,” said Pat Steele, owner of Thousand Oaks Optical, in an interview. “We’ve had companies in China that say they’re getting our film, but they’re not—it’s very common in this business that fly-by-night companies will use our name, and it’s not really our product.”
“A couple of samples I’ve seen were more to the light side, which raises concerns about whether they were tested or not,” said Steele. “It’s so hard to police.” Eclipse glasses are manufactured using Thousand Oaks Optical’s film, which is silver on the sun-facing side and black on the eye-facing side. “If it’s black on both sides, it’s one indication that it’s not our film,” said Steele. “It was pretty exclusive for a while, but Chinese companies did their best to copy it.
“That’s not a 100% guarantee, but it’s the first step,” said Steele, who has concerns about the ISO certification process, whereby U.S. labs use a spectrophotometer to shine intense U.V., visible, and I.R. light through the filter and measure how much gets through at each wavelength. “A lab can test a sample of somebody’s film—and who knows where that sample came from—but that doesn’t mean that all the film that they’re supplying meets the standard,” said Steele.
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