UK Warned Over Fake Eclipse Glasses Flooding Market Ahead of August Solar Event

Trading Standards officers across England and Scotland have launched a coordinated crackdown on counterfeit solar eclipse glasses being sold online and at market stalls ahead of the partial solar eclipse expected to be visible from most of Britain on 19 August.

Officers say they have seized more than 8,000 pairs of glasses from e-commerce platforms and physical vendors that displayed official-looking ISO 12312-2 certification marks but failed optical density tests carried out by government laboratories. Looking at the sun through these glasses could cause permanent retinal damage or blindness within seconds.

The surge in counterfeits follows high demand following last year's total eclipse visible from parts of North America, which drove a global market for eclipse viewing equipment that manufacturers and regulators struggled to police.

The Royal Astronomical Society has published a guide to identifying genuine glasses and recommends purchasing only from reputable astronomy retailers or national science museums. Consumers are also advised to check for the ISO mark and look for a manufacturer's name and address on packaging.

Symptoms of solar retinopathy — the eye damage caused by unprotected solar viewing — may not appear for hours or even days after exposure, making early intervention difficult.