Solar eclipse glasses run short across Europe

Certified solar eclipse glasses are running short in several European countries before the total solar eclipse due on Wednesday, August 12, with shops, pharmacies and opticians reporting strong demand and eye specialists warning against unsafe alternatives.

The eclipse is scheduled to be total in parts of Spain, while a partial eclipse will be visible across Europe at 1658 GMT. In Brussels, about 90 percent of the Sun is expected to be covered by the Moon, and the eclipse will be partial in France.

In Spain, where parts of the country lie in the path of totality, finding certified protective glasses has become increasingly difficult. Madrid's National Museum of Natural Sciences posted a notice saying its supply was exhausted. The museum was among 30 science institutions taking part in a government-backed campaign to distribute two million pairs for free.

Some pharmacies in central Madrid still had certified glasses on Tuesday, generally priced at three to four euros a pair. In Barcelona, optician Carles Sisquella said his shop had been out of stock for 10 days. French supermarket chain Carrefour's Spanish unit said demand for eclipse glasses had risen twentyfold in recent days compared with the same period last month.

Doctors warn that looking directly at the Sun during a solar eclipse can damage the retina and harm central vision. Spanish authorities on Monday withdrew six glasses models from the market because of the risk of eye injuries.

The rush has also hit Belgium, France, Portugal and Italy. In Brussels, optician Fouad Mehdaoui said a shipment of 100 pairs sold out in 30 minutes. In Paris, customers lined up outside La Pharmacie du Soleil on Monday to buy glasses at 5.95 euros a pair, but staff showed them an empty box and said another shipment was expected.

Philippe Besset, president of France's Federation of Pharmaceutical Trade Unions, said demand had been far greater than expected. He said suppliers had earlier offered pharmacies about 200 pairs each, enough to equip about four million people in total. Marine Tondelier, leader of France's Greens, accused the government of failing to prepare properly for the eclipse and contrasted the situation with the 1999 eclipse, when she said more than 30 million approved glasses were distributed nationwide.

In Rome, Claudia Rinaldi of eyewear shop Vision Optika said a first batch of eclipse glasses sold out almost immediately and the store hoped to receive a second shipment by Wednesday morning. In Portugal, the Club da Visao network of more than 600 opticians had been offering certified glasses free of charge, limited to one pair per person, but many locations had run out despite several restocks.