Legacy Health is asking people who received eclipse glasses at its public events to throw them away because they may not protect against eye damage.
Legacy recently learned the eclipse glasses distributed at several public events may be included in the recall issued last week by Amazon. Anyone who received glasses during a public event at any Legacy location should throw those glasses away, the health organization said in a news release.
The glasses were not distributed at any events in Washington but were handed out at Legacy Good Samaritan and Legacy Mount Hood medical centers.
Glasses distributed at some Legacy health clinic locations, however, are safe to use. Glasses given away at any of the Legacy Devers Eye Institute clinics and Legacy/GoHealth Urgent Care clinics in the last month meet ISO standards and are safe to use, according to the news release.
Following the announcement from Legacy, Kaiser Permanente assured patients and community members the glasses distributed at its vision clinics meet safety standards. Kaiser handed out 40,000 glasses in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
Proper eye protection is important when watching the eclipse because staring at the sun too long — even a partially obstructed sun — can burn your retinas. The ultraviolet light from the sun’s rays can cause damage that may not be reversible.
Regular sunglasses — even those reporting 100 percent UV protection — will not protect the eyes sufficiently, and only welding masks with a No. 14 filter will provide adequate protection.
Check your glasses
If you’re unsure whether your eclipse glasses are OK to use, check out the American Astronomical Society website, https://eclipse.aas.org/resources/solar-filters.
The website has a list of companies that have been verified by an accredited testing laboratory to meet the ISO 12312-2 international safety standard for solar filters and eclipse glasses. The website also lists organizations and retail chains that are selling ISO-compliant glasses.
