UK gave out eclipse glasses with fake credentials. Don’t use them, university says.
The University of Kentucky is warning people who picked up eclipse glasses that were given out through its library system not to use them.
The Biniki brand glasses “may not be safe for viewing a solar eclipse” and should be thrown away, the university said in a news release Friday.
“The product erroneously claimed that it had been approved by the American Astronomical Society (AAS),” UK said.
The vendor that sold the glasses notified UK Libraries of the problem Friday morning, according to the release. The glasses were available at campus libraries this week, UK said.
“The AAS has published guidelines on identifying fake and counterfeit viewing glasses and filters, as well as a list of approved vendors,” the release stated. “We sincerely apologize for the confusion.”
The American Astronomical Society’s list of companies providing safe solar eclipse glasses is available on its website.
The organization said late last month that people planning to watch the eclipse April 8 should beware of counterfeit solar eclipse glasses.
“Safe solar viewers block all but a minuscule fraction of the Sun’s ultraviolet (UV), visible, and infrared (IR) light,” the AAS said. “Overexposure to sunlight in these parts of the spectrum can cause severe eye injury, ranging from temporarily impaired vision to permanent blindness.”
People inside the path of totality will need special eye protection to view the eclipse except for during the brief period of time when the sun is completely obscured by the moon, the AAS says. There is no time when it will be safe to look at the sun without special eye protection outside the path of totality.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology says permanent eye damage can happen in just seconds.
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