Amazon Offering Refund Over Counterfeit Eclipse Specs
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Amazon is offering a refund this morning to customers who bought counterfeit eclipse glasses to watch the solar eclipse next week. The retail giant says the glasses may not come from a recommended manufacturer.
Pam Ledbury bought a pack of eclipse glasses from Amazon to watch the celestial event, but days later she got a letter from the retail giant recalling the potentially phony frames. The letter read, "We recommend that you do not use this product to view the sun or eclipse."
Related: Viewing The Eclipse Safely
The letter also warns customers that inappropriate glasses can result in the loss of vision or permanent blindness. Leonard Bates, 80, permanently lost part of his vision when he watched his first eclipse when he was 9 years old.
"It's so dangerous for people to look at the sun even for brief periods of time because you can cause permanent damage to the retina," Dr. Russell Van Gelder, of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said. "We call it solar retinopathy, and it's really very close to burning a hole in the retina."
NASA has a list of what it says are reputable vendors selling certified solar eclipse glasses to keep your eyes safe when gazing at the sky.