Widespread rush for special eyewear sweeps the continent ahead of rare sun-blocking phenomenon

A woman in Almelo, eastern Netherlands, dons eclipse glasses on August 11, 2026, a day before a partial solar eclipse, as captured by Vincent Jannink / ANP / AFP, with the image restricted to Netherlands.

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The demand for protective glasses has surged across Europe ahead of Wednesday's rare total solar eclipse, leaving pharmacies, opticians, and other shops struggling to maintain stock levels.

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In Spain, where parts of the country will experience totality, the search for certified protective glasses has become increasingly challenging, with many distribution points reporting depleted supplies, including Madrid's National Museum of Natural Sciences, which posted a notice indicating its stock was exhausted.

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The museum was one of 30 science institutions participating in a government-organized campaign to distribute two million pairs of glasses for free, but some pharmacies in central Madrid still had supplies available on Tuesday, selling certified glasses for between three and four euros ($4.60) per pair.

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Carles Sisquella, the owner of an optical shop in Barcelona, reported that his store had been out of stock for 10 days, stating, "There are now a lot of people who obviously won't be able to get glasses."

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Doctors have warned that directly viewing the Sun during a solar eclipse can cause retinal damage, potentially harming cells responsible for sharp central vision, prompting concerns among those unable to find protective glasses.

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Mabel, a woman from Barcelona, told AFP that she had been searching for glasses since Friday but was unable to find any, saying, "I've been asking around, but they're nowhere to be found."

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French supermarket chain Carrefour's Spanish unit reported that demand for eclipse glasses had "grown exponentially," increasing twentyfold in recent days compared to the same period last month.

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The rush for glasses is being repeated across Europe, with people in Brussels, where about 90 percent of the Sun will be covered by the Moon, racing to find protective eyewear.

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Arno Dossogne, a 37-year-old pastry chef, was fortunate to find glasses at a small opticians' store in Brussels that received a last-minute shipment on Monday afternoon, purchasing them for himself, his boyfriend, and friends whose online order was cancelled.

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Fouad Mehdaoui, the opticians' manager, told AFP that he had placed large orders of glasses early on, acting on a tip from his pharmacist wife, but even then, demand outpaced supply, and he had to order more, with a new shipment of 100 pairs selling out in 30 minutes.

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In France, where the eclipse will be partial, some pharmacies have been depleted of their supplies, while others were still receiving shipments, often at higher prices, with customers lining up outside La Pharmacie du Soleil in Paris to buy glasses for 5.95 euros per pair.

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The pharmacist at La Pharmacie du Soleil asked customers to check back later, saying another shipment of 500 pairs was expected that evening, describing the situation as "pure madness."

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Philippe Besset, president of France's Federation of Pharmaceutical Trade Unions, stated that demand had far exceeded expectations, with suppliers initially offering pharmacies around 200 pairs each, enough to equip approximately four million people.

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Marine Tondelier, leader of France's Greens, criticized the government for failing to properly prepare for the eclipse, calling the struggle to secure glasses a "fiasco" and contrasting it with the 1999 eclipse, when over 30 million approved glasses were distributed nationwide.

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In Rome, Claudia Rinaldi of eyewear shop Vision Optika reported that a first batch of eclipse glasses "sold out almost immediately," with her store hoping to receive a second shipment by Wednesday morning to meet customer demand.

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The shortage of certified glasses has prompted eye specialists to warn against purchasing uncertified alternatives, with authorities in Spain withdrawing six models from the market on Monday due to the risk of eye injuries.