Can't Find Eclipse Glasses? Here's What's Going On and What to Do
People across the UK are rushing to buy special glasses for the solar eclipse on Wednesday 12 August 2026, but most shops have sold out and online orders will not arrive in time. The Royal Observatory Greenwich — one of the UK's leading astronomy centres — confirmed it has sold out of eclipse glasses both online and in its shops after an unprecedented wave of orders (The Guardian, 10 August 2026).
During this eclipse, the Moon will pass in front of the Sun and block out about 90–96% of it at the peak moment. That makes it nearly total, but not quite. The Royal Observatory has warned that looking directly at the Sun, even during an eclipse, can cause serious eye damage or blindness (Royal Observatory Greenwich). Regular sunglasses and 3D glasses will not protect your eyes (Royal Observatory Greenwich).
To be safe, eclipse glasses must meet a safety standard called ISO 12312-2. This is an international rule that makes sure the glasses block enough of the Sun's harmful light. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) and consumer guides say only glasses with this certification should be used (UKHSA, 23 July 2026; Mashable, 10 August 2026). The UKHSA posted advice on 23 July telling people to use only genuine eclipse glasses (UKHSA, 23 July 2026). Astronomer Dr Jenifer Millard told BBC Breakfast that you should never look directly at the Sun during an eclipse because it can seriously damage your eyes (BBC Breakfast, 8 August 2026). Buyers were also warned to be careful with glasses sold on Amazon and to check for the ISO 12312-2 mark (Mashable, 10 August 2026).
On Amazon, a pack of Lunt eclipse glasses priced at £14.99 showed a delivery date of Thursday 13 August — one day too late. Robert Dyas had Bresser eclipse glasses for £2.99 but listed them as out of stock (The Guardian, 10 August 2026). One shopper, Emma from Tonbridge in Kent, found glasses sold out everywhere she tried. A staff member at a local opticians even hung up on her when she asked. She eventually got a single pair from a friend's mother who had bought a multipack ahead of time.
Not everyone agrees there is a real shortage. Neill Sanders, who runs the stargazing group Go Stargazing and coordinates Astronomers Without Borders in the UK, said he imported 300,000 pairs of eclipse glasses from the United States. He distributed 100,000 of them at discount prices to astronomy clubs and community groups in recent weeks. In his view, the problem is not a lack of glasses but people leaving it too late to buy them (The Guardian, 10 August 2026). An unnamed distributor said the same: they had plenty of stock, but everyone ordered at the last minute and there was not enough time to pack and ship everything.
If you cannot get certified glasses, there are other safe ways to watch. Jake Foster, an astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich, recommended indirect viewing methods. One simple approach is to make a small round hole in a piece of paper or use a kitchen colander — the holes project an image of the Sun onto the ground, so you look at the projection rather than the Sun itself. The Royal Observatory also hosted a live stream of the eclipse online for UK viewers (Royal Observatory Greenwich).
The risks are real. After the last major eclipse visible from the UK in 1999, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists — the professional body for eye doctors — reported around 70 cases of people experiencing vision problems from watching it. Both the UKHSA and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists issued detailed advice ahead of the 2026 event on safe glasses and alternative viewing methods (The Guardian, 10 August 2026).
The supply problem is not limited to the UK. In Spain, six brands of eclipse glasses were pulled from sale after the consumer group FACUA found them to be unsafe (The Guardian, 10 August 2026). The Guardian also reported that large numbers of tourists travelling to Spain for the eclipse could raise the risk of wildfires there. During a total solar eclipse in Chile and Argentina in 2019, demand for glasses overwhelmed stores, and street sellers charged as much as $10 per pair (The Guardian, 3 July 2019).
The broader picture here is a pattern that repeats with every eclipse. Demand for certified glasses always spikes in the final days before the event, overwhelming shops and delivery systems. The safety standard requirement adds to the difficulty, because buyers have to not only find glasses but also make sure they are genuine — a challenge when fake or non-compliant products appear on major online marketplaces. Spain's withdrawal of six unsafe brands shows that risk in action. For UK consumers, the time to buy glasses online has now effectively run out, leaving indirect projection methods, community group distribution, and the Royal Observatory's live stream as the main remaining options.
What sets this event apart from the 1999 eclipse is how much of the Sun will be blocked and how far safety messaging has spread. With 90–96% of the Sun covered, the sky will dim noticeably, but the thin sliver of Sun still visible is dangerous to look at without protection. The UKHSA's advisory, the Royal College of Ophthalmologists' guidance, and extensive media coverage have made more people aware than ever before — but that awareness has also squeezed everyone's buying into a very short window. Sanders's 300,000 imported pairs show that supply does exist at the wholesale level, but the bottleneck at shops and delivery has made certified glasses effectively unavailable to many people in the final two days.
