Frequently Asked Questions

If you were using proper ISO 12312-2 certified solar viewers, soreness is almost certainly eye strain—not damage. This is a very common experience and nothing to worry about.

Here's what happens: when viewing an eclipse, people tend to stare without blinking as much as they normally would. This prolonged, focused viewing causes eye fatigue, just like staring at a computer screen or reading for extended periods. The muscles in and around your eyes get tired, leading to soreness, dryness, or a gritty feeling.

Solar retinopathy (actual eye damage) is different. It typically presents as blurred vision, a blind spot in the center of your vision, distorted vision, or altered color perception—not general soreness. These symptoms may not appear until hours after exposure.

If you have persistent symptoms like blurred vision or blind spots (not just soreness), see an eye care professional. But simple soreness after using certified viewers is normal eye fatigue.

Yes—but only during totality, when the Moon completely covers the Sun's bright surface (photosphere). This is the only time it's safe to view a solar eclipse with your naked eyes.

During totality, you can see the Sun's corona—the outer atmosphere that appears as a beautiful pearly white halo around the darkened Moon. This is the spectacular part of a total eclipse that everyone wants to see.

Totality typically lasts between 1 and 7 minutes depending on the eclipse. Know how long totality will last at your location and be ready to protect your eyes before it ends.

Important: This applies only to total eclipses. During an annular eclipse (the "ring of fire"), the Moon never completely covers the Sun, so you must use solar viewers throughout the entire event.

Solar retinopathy (eye damage from looking at the Sun) typically causes these symptoms, which may appear hours or even a day after exposure:

• Blurred vision — general haziness or difficulty focusing
• Central blind spot — a dark or blank spot in the center of your vision
• Distorted vision — straight lines appearing wavy or bent
• Altered color perception — colors appearing different or washed out
• Persistent afterimages — a visual impression of the Sun that doesn't fade
• Light sensitivity — discomfort in bright conditions

The key distinction: solar retinopathy affects your vision, not just how your eyes feel. General soreness, tiredness, or dryness without vision changes is typically eye strain, not damage.

If you experience any of these vision symptoms after sun exposure, see an eye care professional. There is no treatment that can reverse solar retinopathy, but proper diagnosis is important for monitoring.

Be skeptical. Most verified eclipse glasses manufacturers don't have authorized resellers. Major brands are protective of their trademarks and reputation—they typically sell directly through their own websites and official marketplace stores.

While bulk purchasing does happen (organizations buying large quantities for events), that's different from being an "authorized reseller." When someone buys in bulk and resells, you're trusting that:

• They actually purchased from the manufacturer they claim
• They haven't mixed in counterfeit products
• The glasses were stored properly and aren't damaged
• They haven't switched products after purchasing legitimate samples

The safest approach is always to buy directly from the manufacturer's website or their official Amazon/marketplace store.

Not necessarily. This is actually a sophisticated scam you need to know about: sellers who have real certificates but ship counterfeit products.

Here's how it works:

• A reseller buys a legitimate bulk order (500–1,000 units) from a verified manufacturer
• They request copies of the ISO test certificate and any other documentation
• They advertise using those authentic certificates
• They ship counterfeit glasses that were never tested

The certificates they show you are genuine. The test reports are real. But the glasses you receive are not the glasses that were tested.

This is why "buy direct" matters. When you purchase from the manufacturer, the certificate actually applies to what you're receiving. When you buy from a third party waving certificates around, you have no way to verify the glasses in your hand are what was tested.

No reliable home test exists. Advice like "look at a bright light and you shouldn't see anything except the Sun" is unreliable and potentially dangerous.

Here's the problem: a filter can appear sufficiently dark for visible light while still transmitting dangerous levels of infrared radiation, which is invisible to your eyes. You can't see IR, so you can't test for it.

Additionally, filters can have uniformity issues—safe in some areas, dangerous in others—that you wouldn't detect by looking through them.

The only reliable test is laboratory spectrophotometry across the full wavelength range (UV, visible, and IR). This requires specialized equipment you don't have at home.

This is a red flag. The phrase "ISO Certified" reveals either ignorance or intentional deception—either way, it's a warning sign.

Here's why: ISO doesn't certify products. ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) creates standards—they publish the requirements that products should meet. But ISO doesn't test products, inspect factories, or issue certifications.

The correct terminology is that glasses are tested to ISO 12312-2 or meet ISO 12312-2 requirements. Testing is performed by independent accredited laboratories, not by ISO itself.

Anyone using the phrase "ISO Certified" either doesn't understand how standards work, or is counting on you not understanding.

Under the old system, that's essentially how it worked—if the filter film was certified, manufacturers could print different artwork on the frames under the same certificate.

The new EU PPE regulations changed this. Now, every distinct product design requires its own EU Type Examination Certificate from a Notified Body. Different artwork or branding on the same base product counts as a different design requiring separate certification.

Each new certification takes approximately 6 months and involves significant costs. This has major implications:

• Legitimate EU-certified manufacturers offer a limited range of designs
• Custom branded glasses for corporate giveaways now require full certification
• Sellers offering dozens of "styles" are unlikely to have certified all of them

In the EU, yes. EU PPE regulations require that safety information and instructions be provided in the official language(s) of the country where the product is sold.

This means:

• Glasses sold in Germany must have German safety information
• Glasses sold in France must have French safety information
• Glasses sold in Spain must have Spanish safety information
• And so on for each EU member state

Legitimate manufacturers who sell across multiple EU countries typically print their glasses with safety information in 4 or more languages to cover their markets.

Be skeptical of extremely low prices. While eclipse glasses aren't expensive to manufacture, they do have real costs: quality filter material, proper testing, certification (especially for EU markets), and legitimate business operations.

When glasses are priced significantly below market rates, something is usually being cut. That might be:

• Filter quality or consistency
• Actual ISO 12312-2 testing (some skip it entirely)
• EU certification (selling without required PPE compliance)
• Using counterfeit or expired materials

This doesn't mean expensive glasses are automatically better, or that reasonably priced glasses from verified manufacturers are unsafe. But if a price seems too good to be true, it probably is.

For EU markets, yes—this is a significant red flag.

Under current EU PPE regulations, each distinct design requires its own EU Type Examination Certificate. Each certificate takes approximately 6 months to obtain and involves significant costs.

Do the math: if a seller offers 30 different designs, that would require 30 separate certifications—representing 15+ years of continuous certification work, or massive parallel investment. For eclipse glasses that are only needed periodically, this makes no business sense.

Legitimate EU-certified manufacturers typically offer a limited range of designs—the ones they've actually invested in certifying. Variety at the expense of verification isn't a good trade.

Buy directly from a verified manufacturer. This is the only way to be certain the glasses you receive are actually what was tested and certified.

The safest purchasing channels are:

• Manufacturer's own website — the most direct option
• Manufacturer's official Amazon/marketplace store — look for "sold by [Manufacturer Name]" not third-party sellers
• Channels the manufacturer explicitly controls — if a manufacturer lists specific authorized sellers on their website, those are verified

What to avoid:

• Random Amazon/eBay sellers who aren't the manufacturer
• Sellers claiming to be "authorized" without manufacturer verification
• Social media ads from unknown sellers
• Street vendors or temporary popup shops (no way to verify or get recourse)

View our list of verified manufacturers →