Solar Eclipse Viewing: Amazon Refunding Customers For Fake Glasses

Already bought your glasses to see the solar eclipse? You might want to check with Amazon if they’re fake.

The company is refunding customers for solar eclipse glasses because it hasn’t been able to confirm if they all come from reputable manufacturers, according to NBC affiliate KGW.

Read: What's Coming To Amazon This Fall: Prime Services, Echo Dot, Alexa Gadgets

The online retailer reportedly sent KGW’s photography staff an email Saturday telling them the solar filters the outlet purchased for the solar eclipse on August 21 were not confirmed to be safe to view the event. In the email, Amazon said the supplier could not confirm if the item came from a recommended manufacturer.

“Amazon has not received confirmation from the supplier of your order that they sourced the item from a recommended manufacturer,” Amazon said in the email. “We recommend that you DO NOT use this product to view the sun or the eclipse.”

The company also sent the notification about solar eclipse glasses to others, according to KGW.

In a statement to International Business Times Amazon said:

"Safety is among our highest priorities. Out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively reached out to customers and provided refunds for eclipse glasses that may not comply with industry standards. We want customers to buy with confidence anytime they make a purchase on Amazon.com and eclipse glasses sold on Amazon.com are required to comply with the relevant ISO standard."

Those who are concerned about solar eclipse glasses they bought on Amazon can reach out to customer service.

Read: Solar Eclipse Glasses: Where To Get Your ISO Compliant Pair For TSE 17

The alerts come days before the solar eclipse, and as others said they have been duped by fake glasses. A Kansas woman told station KWCH 12 she bought 500 solar eclipse glasses for kids at a local school -- which turned out to be fake. She bought the phony glasses on Amazon for $200 from a vendor in China.

Where To Buy Solar Eclipse Glasses

People in fourteen states will be able to see the solar eclipse in totality next week. If you’re planning on viewing the rare event, it’s important that you protect your eyes, since looking directly into the sun can damage them.

The only safe way to see the eclipse is by using special sun filter glasses of hand-held filters, according to NASA. The protective gear you use should be verified by an accredited testing laboratory and must have the ISO 12312-2 certification, NASA says.

Don’t try looking at the eclipse with normal sunglasses or home-made filters either.

“Homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses, even very dark ones, are not safe for looking at the Sun,” says the American Astronomical Society, “they transmit thousands of times too much sunlight.”

Some reputable manufacturers include TSE-17, American Paper Optics and Celestron. NASA has a list of reliable companies on its site. You could also check out 7-Eleven, Toys “R” Us and Walmart, since some locations might carry solar eclipse glasses.

You can find the AAS's full instructions on how to safely view the solar eclipse here.