They can be, and what tells you whether they’ll do is written on the box and on the glasses themselves. Last summer, according to the Spanish newspapers El Debate and El Español, chains such as Aldi, Carrefour, Alcampo, Eroski and El Corte Inglés sold eclipse glasses; we haven’t found any news story or statement saying that Lidl, Mercadona or Decathlon did. Wherever they come from, glasses are valid if they meet EN ISO 12312-2, carry the CE marking and say who makes them, and you check that the same way in a supermarket aisle as at an optician’s. On Monday 2 August 2027 you’ll need them for more than two hours: only inside the path of totality, around the maximum, which comes between 10:46 and 10:51 Spanish time (CEST, UTC+2), are there a few seconds without a filter.
What the press reported last summer
| Chain | What was published | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Aldi | That its glasses “comply with Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on personal protective equipment”, according to its website | El Debate |
| Carrefour | A pack of ten from a brand whose glasses “meet the transmission requirements of the ISO 12312-2 standard” (the article doesn’t say where that comes from) | El Debate |
| Eroski | A model “certified as conforming to the EN ISO 12312-2 standard”, in shops and online “while stocks last” | El Debate |
| Alcampo | Glasses with “CE marking” and ISO 12312-2, which its website already showed as “out of stock” | El Debate |
| El Corte Inglés | On the eve of the eclipse, it “still has some certified models, although availability also depends on each store” | El Español |
| Lidl, Mercadona, Decathlon | We haven’t found any news stories or statements | — |
Each of those phrases is about something different (the EU regulation on personal protective equipment, the standard’s transmission requirements, the CE marking), and none of them saves you from reading what is written on the glasses in your hand.
”Are Lidl ones any good?”: what they have to say
The same list works for Lidl, for a bargain shop or for the most expensive shop in town. Before you pay, look for:
- EN ISO 12312-2:2015, with the “-2”, on the glasses, the packaging or the instructions. ISO 12312-1 is the standard for sunglasses and is no good for looking at the Sun (why, in Spanish).
- The CE marking and the EU declaration of conformity. They are category II PPE (personal protective equipment) and, as Spain’s Consumer Affairs ministry pointed out, they have to pass an EU type-examination.
- The manufacturer and its postal address, and the importer’s if they come from outside the EU: the EU regulation on PPE requires them on the product or, if they don’t fit, on the packaging.
- Instructions in a language you understand, and the batch number, which is what will tell you if your glasses appear in an alert.
OCU, Spain’s consumer organisation, gave this same list last summer. The long version, with the tool from the American Astronomical Society (AAS), is in our guide to certified glasses.
What the Consumer Affairs ministry found in the shops
Last summer, Spain’s Consumer Affairs ministry coordinated an inspection campaign with eight of Spain’s regions (the autonomous communities) on the glasses being sold, both in shops and at a distance. The overall conclusion was good: “a high degree of compliance as regards eye safety”, with no deviations in the ultraviolet and infrared filters. But some models let through less light than recommended and others had failings in their paperwork and information. Several regions ordered specific models off the market, and you’ll find them in fake and recalled eclipse glasses.
In the shop and back home
- Keep the receipt: OCU pointed out that anyone who had bought one of the recalled models could return it and ask for a refund.
- Try them at home. The IGN (Spain’s National Geographic Institute) advises looking at a light bulb through them first, and the AAS spells it out: with good glasses you see nothing indoors, except perhaps very bright lights, which look very faint. If you can make out the furniture, they aren’t dark enough.
- Check them against the light before using them. The Trío de Eclipses website, from Spain’s Ministry of Science, asks you not to use them if the filter is scratched, loose, bent or has lighter patches.
If they’ve sold out
Last summer, what was on the shelves varied from one store to another, and El Español advised people “to check stock before setting off”. So that you don’t depend on whatever is left in the last week, see when to buy eclipse glasses and where to buy them, shop by shop. If you run a shop in the path, you can also hand glasses over to your neighbours as a pickup point.
On Order your glasses you can ask for ours: cardboard, with the EN ISO 12312-2 certificate, along with the phone filter and packs for groups. We reply with the price and the delivery time.
Sources: El Debate — the supermarkets selling approved glasses (in Spanish: Aldi, Carrefour, Eroski and Alcampo, with what each one said); El Español — where to buy glasses at the last minute (in Spanish: El Corte Inglés; check stock before going); Spain’s Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda — press release (in Spanish: category II PPE, EU type-examination, declaration and CE; results of the campaign); Regional government of Castile and León — inspection campaign on eclipse glasses (in Spanish: physical shops and distance selling); OCU — recall of eclipse glasses (in Spanish: what they must say, and returns); Regulation (EU) 2016/425, text in La Administración al Día (INAP) (in Spanish: manufacturer and importer: Articles 8 and 10); Trío de Eclipses, Ministry of Science — Salud visual (in Spanish: where to look for the inscription; ISO 12312-1 won’t do; when not to use them); IGN — Cómo observar los eclipses (in Spanish: testing them with a light bulb); AAS — How to tell if viewers are safe (the indoor test); totality times: eclipseando data (skyfield engine + DE440s).
If you would like something to keep from the eclipse, the shop prints T-shirts, mugs and posters with the name of your town, the time of its maximum and its seconds of totality. See the merchandise →
Remember: never look at the Sun without proper eye protection (filters made to EN ISO 12312-2). The official reference for safe viewing in Spain is the IGN (in Spanish): eclipses.ign.es.