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Scammers are flooding the market with dangerous fake eclipse glasses — here's what brands are safe to buy

kid watching solar eclipse
Make sure to buy eclipse glasses that are certifiably safe. Bill Ingalls/NASA

The INSIDER Summary:

  • On August 21, millions of Americans will gather to watch the moon pass over the sun in the first solar eclipse to take place over the US in 38 years.
  • Watching the eclipse with glasses that haven't met certain qualifications can lead to eye damage, so you'll need to make sure they are certifiably safe.
  • One easy way to check if your eclipse glasses are safe is to see if they have the ISO logo on them.
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As August 21 nears, scammers are flooding the market with fake solar eclipse glasses. 

Watching the eclipse with glasses that haven't met certain qualifications can lead to eye damage. And, as retailers run out of eclipse glasses, some people are being duped by glasses that may look real, but that won't actually protect your eyes. 

"It's a bunch of unscrupulous people cashing in on the eclipse and putting public safety at risk," Richard Fienberg, press officer for the American Astronomical Society (AAS), told Reuters. 

One easy way to check if your eclipse glasses are safe is to see if they have the ISO logo on them. If your glasses have the logo, it means they've been verified by an accredited testing lab and they meet the necessary safety standards. If they don't, then you may have been scammed. 

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The AAS and NASA have also published a list of legitimate companies making certifiably-safe eclipse glasses. 

These are the safe eclipse glasses brands that you should be buying: 

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