Buyer beware when it comes to solar eclipse eyewear

Demand for special eye protection to watch Monday’s solar eclipse has many Coachella Valley retailers sold out of glasses used to protect your eyes from UV rays, and some retailers may have sold glasses that might not be as safe as advertised.

Stores like the 7-Eleven in Cathedral City, and the Walmart and Lowe’s in Palm Springs are sold out of the special glasses. People have even bought all the protective glass inserts for welding masks at many local hardware stores.

KESQ and CBS Local 2 reporter Joe Galli went to about a dozen local stores on Friday and couldn’t find the shades in supply anywhere.

Customers who bought some of the special eclipse eyewear through Walmart online got an email reply saying the product was not approved by NASA or the American Astronomical Society.

Customers were given a refund.

“You also have to be careful. There are fake one’s out there and you just have to make sure that you do your research, and I think right now everywhere is sold out, so be careful if you look at the local gas station it might probably be fake,” said Dr. Ann Lee, an optometrist.

During an eclipse, even though the sun is partially blocked, a person’s eyes are still absorbing the same amount of UV rays as staring at the sun any other time. That can cause serious damage.

“It’s called solar retinopathy. That means there is too much UV in the back of the eye and that can cause permanent vision loss,” Lee said.

The safest way to watch the eclipse is with a pinhole eclipse viewer. You can make one out of a cereal box in just a few minutes.

JOE GALLI IS ON FACEBOOK AND ON TWITTER @JOEGALLINEWS.