MOLINE, Ill. — Did you buy your Eclipse glasses on Amazon? A viewer reached out to News 8 saying they received a letter from the company telling them not to use them because they were "no good". We reached out to Amazon to verify if that's true.
So has Amazon been reaching out to customers telling them not to use certain glasses purchased on its site?
In short, yes. Here's what the company had to say:
In advance of the solar eclipse on April 8, we proactively notified and provided refunds to customers who purchased solar eclipse glasses identified as potentially not sourced from a supplier included in the American Astronomical Society’s (AAS) approved list. While we are not aware of any particular products that are unsafe, we took this action out of an abundance of caution. We continuously monitor our store for non-compliant products, and when we discover a product was undetected by our proactive checks, we address the issue immediately and refine our controls. If customers have concerns about an item they’ve purchased, we encourage them to contact our Customer Service directly so we can address any questions they may have. We regret any inconvenience this may have caused our customers.
-Amazon Company Spokesperson
Amazon says they have since removed the products in question and have refunded all potentially impacted customers. The company also says it's important to note the glasses purchased may be fine to use, but they were unable to verify the source and took action out of an abundance of caution. "As noted by the AAS on their site, a product sourced from a supplier outside of their list does not mean the products are inherently unsafe, but that they have not been vetted by the AAS," according to an Amazon spokesperson
Since the event, Amazon claims they have worked with the AAS and changed proactive controls to ensure compliance with industry standards. The company says in addition to automated controls, they have also been doing manual sweeps of products and removing non-compliant listings. Learn more about that approach by clicking here.
How to verify if your eclipse glasses are safe?
Special eclipse glasses are essential to keep your eyes protected during a solar eclipse. The only time it is safe to look directly at the eclipse with the naked eye is during totality — if you're located within the path of totality.
The American Astronomical Society Solar Eclipse Task Force vetted sellers and compiled a list of trusted manufacturers and suppliers of eclipse glasses here.
If you already have solar viewers that aren't on the list, don't panic. The AAS Solar Eclipse Task Force says it's simply impossible to vet every manufacturer and most of the time these products end up being safe.
“What some people are calling ‘fake’ eclipse glasses appear to be products being promoted with misleading claims, printed with information copied from other manufacturers’ viewers, or otherwise suspicious,” said Rick Fienberg, project manager of the task force. “But that doesn’t mean they’re dangerous.”