Don't fry your eyes by wearing normal sunglasses during the eclipse. Here is where to get free glasses

The nation is preparing for the April 8 total solar eclipse, which is the last one to cross the continental United States until 2045.

That means buying special eclipse glasses because normal sun glasses — even those with the darkest lenses — aren't enough to protect eyes from damaging rays.

Where to get free eclipse glasses in Palm Beach County

Palm Beach County libraries and the Mandel Public Library in West Palm Beach are giving away free eclipse glasses while supplies last. If you don't have eclipse glasses, you can look through a pinhole projector, or even hold a colander in the sun's glare so that an image of the moon moving across the sun will show in shadow on the ground.

It's not that the sun is stronger during an eclipse, but where you would squint, blink and turn away from the full sun, it can be more comfortable to look at the sun as the moon moves over it. And you can damage your eyes without immediately realizing.

"You look at it, and maybe it's not bothering you, but at the same time, it's frying your retina," said Antonio Bolet, clinical manager at Mittleman Eye, which has offices in West Palm Beach and Jupiter. "Literally, just a few seconds will cause permanent damage."

In Palm Beach County, only about 50% of the sun will be covered by the moon. The eclipse begins in West Palm Beach at 1:48 p.m. and ends at 4:15 p.m. The peak of the eclipse is 3:03 p.m.

What time is the eclipse in Palm Beach County? How long will it last? What will it look like?

What glasses do you need for an eclipse?

The American Astronomical Society has a list of reputable sellers of solar eclipse glasses on its website eclipse.aas.org, and cautions against buying from large online-only marketplaces where the seller and manufacturer may not be easy to verify.

Glasses marked with "ISO 12312-2" ensure the glasses, and other eclipse viewers, comply with international safety standards for having appropriate filters to directly view the sun. ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization.

"The problem is anyone can print on an eclipse viewer that they conform with ISO standards," said Susanna Kohler, press officer for the American Astronomical Society (AAS). "Everyone loves these shopping sites because you can get items overnight, but that comes with its own risks in regard to the glasses."

What glasses are best for solar eclipse 2024?

Some North American manufacturers recommended by the AAS for eclipse glasses are America Paper Optics, Rainbow Symphony, Halo Eclipse Spectacles and Thousand Oaks Optical.

Eclipse glasses usually cost under $3 per pair, but may have to be bought in multi-packs. At Rainbow Symphony, a 5-pack of sunglasses costs $10.95. A 25-pack at American Paper Optics (eclipseglasses.com) is running $68.75.AAS warns against searching online marketplaces "and buying from whichever vendor offers the lowest price."

Where to watch the eclipse: Best watch parties, safe viewing places for April 8 solar eclipse in Palm Beach County

There are more than 50 authorized dealers listed on the AAS site, as well as several large retail chain stores including Walmart, Lowes and Staples.

But even the chain stores come with caveats. If you buy glasses in the store, they are likely to be legitimately ISO-compliant, but the same can't be said if they are purchased on a store's website because some chains use different suppliers for online sales, the AAS site notes.

The only time it’s safe to look at the eclipse is if you are in the path of totality and the fleeting moments when the sun is completely covered by the moon.

On April 8, the sun will be fully eclipsed by the moon in a 115-mile wide path from Texas through Maine. Some areas in the path will witness totality for more than 4 minutes.

Can find eclipse glasses? How to make a safe eclipse viewer

Bolet said he's reluctant to look directly at an eclipse even with the glasses. Instead, he recommends using a pinhole viewer where the eclipse image is projected onto the ground through a hole cut into a piece of paper.But Kohler said it is safe to view an eclipse with appropriate protection.

"We don't want people to be so afraid that they don't get to experience the eclipse," she said. "The message we are trying to get out is to be prepared and get the right safety glasses."

Kimberly Miller is a veteran journalist for The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA Today Network of Florida. She covers real estate and how growth affects South Florida's environment. Subscribe to The Dirt for a weekly real estate roundup. If you have news tips, please send them to kmiller@pbpost.com. Help support our local journalism, subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Free eclipse glasses in Palm Beach County, plus how to make a viewer