We’re thrilled to be offering at a greatly reduced cost ISO and CE certified viewing glasses to individuals and families to enjoy the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse safely! We realize what a special event this is for may families and want to do our part to help make it a truly memorable experience! As part of this effort we will also be visiting shopping centers and community groups during the summer of 2017 in Carbondale, IL, Kansas City, MO, St. Louis, MO, Chesterfield, MO, and Boonville, MO to distribute both glasses as well as other educational materials.

Why are you doing this?

For many people across the USA this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. This is the first time that so many people across a large part of the country will be able to witness a total solar eclipse. In fact, it’s been over 100 years since a similar event has occurred in this area! This is a great chance for kids, adults, and kids-at-heart to witness an event that really pauses our everyday hectic lives for a few minutes. It’s also a great opportunity for children and adults of all ages to learn more about astronomy, what causes eclipses and hopefully get people more interested in science in general!

However, to totally be able to witness this incredible event you must protect your eyes. It is never safe to look directly at the sun. Serious and permanent eye damage will occur if you do not take precautions and use proper eclipse viewing safety glasses that meet CE & ISO standards. Only during the period of totality, less than 3 minutes, is it safe to look directly at the sun.

NASA provides a wonderful reference page talking about safety during an eclipse that we encourage you to read and share with family and friends. We’ve also put together a resource page for teachers, parents and families with links to educational, safety and science resources.

With all this in mind, we decided to make sure that as many people as possible could enjoy this event without having to worry about finding or affording glasses. We were shocked when we learned that some places were selling glasses for as much as $5.00 per pair. This way we feel everyone, from inner-city school kids to those living on farms in the heartland, can enjoy this event safely! Through our charitable foundation, we have helped provide over 200,000 pairs to schools and other community organizations for free!

How do I get eclipse shades for me or my family?

We’re thrilled to be able to help get glasses into the hands of families at a greatly reduced cost. We hope this helps you and your family enjoy the August 21, 2017 eclipse safely, and perhaps you will keep a pair or two in your scrapbook to remember this event for years to come! All glasses are both ISO and CE certified and come with complete safety instructions and certifications printed on the back of each. We encourage you to review this safety information with your family, especially children, before the eclipse so they know how to wear the glasses properly.

Though we can’t guarantee what design you will get – and you may get different designs, or even extras (glasses that were printed for a specific company or event) – we can guarantee that each pair is manufactured to meet all ISO and CE safety specifications.

To use this option, please use the box below. You may order 4 or 8 pairs at a time.

It typically takes 7 to 10 days for these to get mailed to you due to demand, but we do our best to get them back to you as quickly as possible! We will continue to offer this program until August 1, 2017.

All our glasses are manufactured by American Paper Optics of Memphis, TN and are ISO and CE certified. Detailed safety instructions and certifications are printed on each pair.