Solar eclipse sparks scramble for protective glasses across Europe

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The scramble for protective glasses has reached fever pitch across Europe ahead of Wednesday’s rare total solar eclipse, as pharmacies, opticians and other shops struggle to keep them in stock.

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In Spain, where parts of the country will be in the path of totality, finding certified protective glasses has become increasingly difficult, with many distribution points reporting they have run out.

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A notice posted at the entrance of Madrid’s National Museum of Natural Sciences said its supply of protective glasses was exhausted.

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The museum was among 30 science institutions across the country taking part in a campaign organised by the government to distribute two million pairs of glasses for free.

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Some pharmacies in central Madrid still had supplies Tuesday, generally selling certified glasses for safely viewing the Sun for between three and four euros ($4.60) a pair.

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But Carles Sisquella, who runs an optical shop in Barcelona, said his store had been out of stock for 10 days.

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“There are now a lot of people who obviously won’t be able to get glasses,” he said.

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Doctors warn that looking directly at the Sun during a solar eclipse can damage the retina, potentially harming the cells responsible for sharp central vision.

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“I’ve been asking around since Friday, but they’re nowhere to be found,” a woman named Mabel told AFP in Barcelona after another fruitless search.

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‘Gone in 30 minutes’

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The rush is being repeated across Europe.

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In Brussels, where about 90 percent of the Sun will be covered by the Moon, people were also racing to find glasses.

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With a seeming majority of opticians and pharmacists out of stock, pastry chef Arno Dossogne, 37, struck gold at a small opticians’ store that received a last-minute shipment Monday afternoon.

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“I got some for me, my boyfriend and a couple of friends whose online order got cancelled!” he told AFP.

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“It was this or nothing. You can’t mess around, or you’ll burn your eyes.”

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The opticians’ manager Fouad Mehdaoui told AFP he acted on a tip from his pharmacist wife, placing large orders of glasses early on, but even then was outrun by demand and had to order more.

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“Two boxes just came in with 100 pairs in total — they were gone in 30 minutes,” he told AFP as a stream of eclipse enthusiasts filed in the store, by chance or word of mouth, and an employee fielded non-stop phone enquiries.

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In France, where the eclipse will be partial, some pharmacies have been stripped of their supplies while others were still receiving shipments — and charging significantly more.

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Customers lined up outside La Pharmacie du Soleil in Paris on Monday afternoon to buy glasses for 5.95 euros a pair, only to be disappointed when staff displayed an empty box.

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‘Pure madness’

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The pharmacist asked customers to check back later, saying another shipment of 500 pairs was expected that evening.

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“Come back in an hour or tomorrow morning,” he told customers. “It’s pure madness.”

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A pharmacy employee said the supplier had been so overwhelmed by orders that it could no longer make deliveries itself, forcing it to ship the glasses by Uber.

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Philippe Besset, president of France’s Federation of Pharmaceutical Trade Unions, said demand had been far greater than expected.

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A few months ago, suppliers had offered pharmacies around 200 pairs each, enough to equip about four million people, he told AFP.

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“But obviously more people want to watch the eclipse,” he said.

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His pharmacy sold its entire order of 200 pairs within a week.

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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.

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Despite several restocks, supplies had run out at many locations.

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The shortage has prompted eye specialists to warn people against buying uncertified alternatives.

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In Spain, authorities on Monday withdrew six models from the market because of the risk of eye injuries.

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AFP

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