ROCHESTER, N.Y. – This consumer alert is a tutorial on how to tell the real eclipse glasses from the fakes.

Real eclipse glasses like this are made of black polymer that blocks nearly all infrared and ultraviolet light. And if you put your hand in front of your face with your glasses on you shouldn’t be able to see it.           

First thing to look for: The lenses should be reflective on the outside and black on the inside. If the lenses are not reflective, you have fakes.]

Secondly, look for the ISO sea. The international organization for standardization. You should see that seal and the number 12312-2.

American paper optics is a major company that manufacturers real eclipse glasses. Sometimes the fakes will also say APO but will fail to list apo’s address which is on every pair APO really manufacturers.

In fact, many of the fakes are using the names of several legitimate manufacturers. So, if you buy your eclipse glasses online, the American Astronomical Society recommends that you only by your glasses through links to a vetted list of vendors on their site.

This is important. Using fake glasses can permanently damage your vision.

Here is the link to the American Astronomical Society. The site also has a wealth of information.