Local Businesses Warning Against Fake Solar Eclipse Viewing Glasses
With the solar eclipse only a few days away, some local organizations and businesses have found themselves in possession of fake solar glasses.
Earlier this week we told you about a report from Amazon that some of their vendors were selling fake eclipse glasses that were not safe for viewing the event Monday.
Here in Toccoa, local optomitrist Dr. Kay Royal said she also discovered some of the glasses she ordered and gave out free to her patients were also not on the approved list of vendors put out by NASA.
“We started back in April ordering glasses for this event completely for the protection of our patients to give them out,” said Royal. “We gave out over 400 pair and about half of them, we got notice just Sunday that they were questionable. I went on NASA.com and actually pulled up the manufacturers and did some research. I just can’t say for certain that those glasses are good. I can’t put it out there that it’s safe for viewing with those.”
Additionally, Troup’s Studio on Doyle Street also ordered eclipse glasses for their customers and discovered this week they might be fake.
Harry Joyner, Troup’s Studio owner said he was notified Monday night by his vendor that there was problem with the 300 glasses he had ordered.
“We found out last night when we were told earlier from our supplier that our manufacturer was on the NASA list,” said Joyner. “But he found out that was not true but he did find another manufacturer that was on NASA’s list and he was honoring his shipment to us for that but it would be at a much higher price. We decided to go ahead and take the loss to help our customers, make sure they had safe glasses and give them the glasses that they ordered at the price they ordered.”
Joyner said he is taking a big loss, but wanted to make sure his customers got the correct glasses for viewing the solar eclipse.
On Tuesday, there was line at Troup’s of customers pre-ordering the correct glasses.
Many of the fake glasses were made in China, Russia and Malaysia and will say on the inside where they were made.
The real glasses will have the name of the vendor on them as well as manufacturer’s logo and will have been made in the U.S.
They will also have an A-S-N-Z-S number of 1338.1:2012.
To find out if the glasses you bought are safe, you can go to the NASA.gov Web site to view a list of legitimate vendors.