Eye care company MyEyeDr. has announced that it will give away over 90,000 free solar eclipse glasses ahead of the total solar eclipse on April 8.
That giveaway begins today. The vision care company is partnering with volunteer charity Prevent Blindness to provide thousands of free solar eclipse glasses to over 400 locations in 20 U.S. states from March 25-April 8 while supplies last.
Free Solar Eclipse Glasses
Last week, MyEyeDr. announced that it was giving away free eclipse glasses when customers in Texas purchase a complete pair of glasses or contact lenses. That offer has now been upgraded to 438 offices across the U.S.
The company has announced that from March 25, “prospective patients and community members” can visit their local MyEyeDr. to get a pair of free solar eclipse glasses—while supplies last.
The 438 participating locations are in 12 of the 15 U.S. states touched by the path of totality (numbers of stores are in brackets):
- Arkansas (5), Illinois (37), Indiana (44), Kentucky (8), Michigan (62), New Hampshire (13), New York (6), Ohio (31), Oklahoma (8), Pennsylvania (33), Tennessee (15), Texas (90) and Vermont (3).
As well as eight other U.S. states:
- Alabama (11), Connecticut (33), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (18), Maryland (7), Virginia (3), Wisconsin (2) and West Virginia (8).
Everyone in North America will see a partial eclipse of the sun on April 8.
Safety Tips for the Total Solar Eclipse
As well as announcing the giveaway, MyEyeDr published some safety tips for the eclipse:
- Never look directly into the sun.
- Carefully inspect your solar filters or eclipse glasses before using them. Do not use if damaged or scratched.
- Make sure you cover your eyes fully with your eclipse glasses or solar viewer before looking up. Do not remove while looking at the sun.
- Be careful when purchasing the various’ eclipse glasses’ found online.
- Not even your darkest, UV-blocking sunglasses can completely protect your eyes from damage caused by looking directly at the sun during the eclipse.
- There are ways to enjoy the eclipse safely without solar eclipse glasses, such as building an eclipse-viewing box (pinhole camera).
If you’re in the path of totality, you’ll also need to know when it’s safe to remove your eclipse glasses during totality.
“There’s no better time to do so than this historical and exciting event that can have real eye health implications,” said Artis Beatty, Chief Medical Officer at MyEyeDr.
For the latest on the total solar eclipse—including travel and lodging options—check my main feed for new articles daily.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
