A public library in New Jersey apologized Monday for issuing solar eclipse glasses that were potentially fake, according to a statement.
“Solar eclipse glasses distributed by the Library may be counterfeit,” began the statement by Moorestown Library in South Jersey. “They were purchased from Walmart.com. We have recently learned that though they are labeled as having been manufactured by Medical King, they may be counterfeit. We advise against using these and apologize profusely for the error.”
The library went on to share a set of instructions published on the technology and consumer electronics review website CNET.com for testing the glasses’ authenticity.
The apology, published at 11:45 a.m., came less than two and a half hours before the start of the partial phase of the solar eclipse over Moorestown. The partial phase started at 2:08 p.m. in Moorestown, which also witnessed a partial eclipse as the moon covered 90% of the sun’s disk, according to Eclipse2024.org.
Commenters appeared divided in their responses. “I tested and seem to be okay. I would imagine either all are bad or all okay. So can I use, if it passed the test?” asked one before the start of the eclipse.
“We don’t know for sure,” replied the library. “We suspect the glasses are from a counterfeit manufacturer so we cannot be certain of their effectiveness.”
“I ordered the Medical King glasses from Walmart. The earpieces had the proper ISO number on them,” said another Thursday. “Unfortunately, I can’t go to Walmart with a ‘may be counterfeit’ reason to try to get a refund from them. And then there’s the matter of companies collecting the glasses to send to other countries for future eclipses… So, where do we go from here?”
The commenter added that they had wanted to test the glasses at a laboratory but the laboratory wanted a fee of $1200-$1500. “I’ll just have to wait and see whether I eventually go blind,” the commenter wrote.
Another averred that the eclipse glasses manufacturer Medical King was not a scam. “I purchased medical king glasses on Amazon and they worked perfectly. Not sure where you heard that the glasses were counterfeit. If they were made by Medical King they are legit,” the commenter wrote.
Two others appeared resigned, saying, “Oh well…” (RELATED: Google Searches For ‘My Eyes Hurt’ Skyrocket After Idiots Stare Into Eclipse)
Glasses approved for viewing the solar eclipse must have filters that comply with the ISO 12312-2 international standard, according to the American Astronomical Society (AAS). Generally, the filters should be such that the sun appears quite dim when viewed through them. However, a “genuinely safe solar viewer does more than reduce the Sun’s visible light to a comfortable brightness level. It also blocks potentially harmful UV and IR radiation,” according to the AAS.
The two ways to know if a pair of solar eclipse glasses is genuine are by testing them in a laboratory, which is expensive, or by buying them from a reputable vendor, according to the society.
As the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards are not laws, it is not technically illegal for shady vendors to slap the ISO logo onto their fake glasses, but it may be inadvisable to buy such glasses, the AAS said.
The AAS listed Medical King as one of its recognized vendors of solar eclipse glasses.