March 28, 2024 — The Vision Council (TVC) has released a statement regarding eye protection ahead of the solar eclipse on Monday, April 8. TVC shares that it represents the U.S. throughout the creation and maintenance of the international optical industry technical standards by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), including ISO 12312-2, which describes the standards that all filters for direct observation of the sun should meet.
“Industry standards help protect both manufacturers and consumers; they ensure everyone is aware of the minimum safety requirements necessary to preserve one of humanity’s most critical senses—sight,” says Michael Vitale, vice president of membership, government relations, and technical standards at TVC.
The leader of TVC’s participation in ISO and secretariat for the Accredited Standards Committee of Ophthalmic Optics at the American National Standards Institute, Vitale reminds the public to check for the ISO 12312-2 certification on eclipse glasses to ensure your eyes will be safe during the once-in-a-lifetime celestial event.
After ensuring eclipse glasses are marked with ISO 12312-2, solar eclipse viewers can get ISO-compliant glasses for camera lenses. Before taking pictures, TVC shares that the flash must be turned off and suggests turning on the burst setting for the best chance of capturing the eclipse.
Once protections are in place, remember to have fun! TVC shares a playlist to follow the stages of the solar eclipse, available here, and a list of movies that depict solar eclipses:
- King Solomon’s Mines (1937)
- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1949)
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
- Little Shop of Horrors (1976)
- A Knight in Camelot (1998)
- Judy Berlin (1999)
- Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001)
- The Wild Thornberry’s Movie (2002)
- Apocalypto (2006)