Unless you're a gear junkie or a logistics manager, the International Organization for Standardization probably doesn't mean much to you, but on Monday, April 8, 2024, it meant a lot to a lot of people.
If you wanted to see the total solar eclipse in all of its glory on Monday, you had better be wearing ISO 12312-2 compliant glasses. That's the international standard for solar viewing glasses. What makes them so special is that they're equipped with "filters for direct observation of the sun."
Compared to regular sunglasses, experts say ISO 12312-2 compliant glasses are thousands of times darker, so they'll protect your eyes from solar ultraviolet and infrared radiation, which can burn your retinas and lead to vision loss.
A pair of ISO 12312-2 compliant glasses. Credit: WikiCommons
ISO creates standards by surveying thousands of experts. They'll supply the organization with specifications that they use to perform a specific activity safely and effectively. In turn, manufacturers will pay ISO to test and verify the performance of their products.
Of course, there's no way for an individual to test their solar glasses, so that's why the rating exists. Experts say it will be printed on the glasses. And while the ISO recognizes that unscrupulous vendors could just print its logo on their glasses, the American Astronomical Society publishes a list of compliant manufacturers.
