Plenty of eye protection available before eclipse

Good news for eclipse fans: Last week I mentioned that there are only three companies that sell safe viewing products for anyone wanting to watch the total solar eclipse coming Aug. 21. And, I said, demand for these viewing devices was so great that some vendors were out of stock or only taking orders for massive quantities.

Mark Margolis, president of Rainbow Symphony Inc., e-mailed that his company has plenty of products for eclipse viewing, and some of the items can be purchased one at a time.

As a matter of fact, I went to the company's website, rainbowsymphony.com, and found all kinds of special glasses and viewers made for looking at the sun as the moon's shadow blots it out.

"We are producing and shipping, and taking orders for hundreds of thousands of glasses every day. We will be taking orders and shipping millions of glasses up to the eclipse," Margolis said.

I purchased some of Rainbow Symphony's eclipse viewers, which you hold in front of your eyes. I think these viewers will be more suitable for folks who wear glasses or who don't want to wear cardboard or plastic glasses.

Thanks, Mr. Margolis, for setting the record straight. It's extremely important that everyone have proper protection when the big event occurs.

By the way, I also checked the websites of the other two vendors of approved eye protection for the solar eclipse: American Paper Optics and Thousand Oaks Optical. It appears both have ample supplies of eyewear and viewers, although it appears many of their products must be ordered in batches of a minimum of 25.

The American Paper Optics website (3dglassesonline.com) is interactive and easy to use. The Thousand Oaks Optical website (thousandoaksoptical.com) is a bit trickier, requiring purchases to be ordered by e-mail, which means the buyer has to find the product, get its stock number, price and minimum purchase amount, and then click on the e-mail option to submit an order.

Here's the bottom line: There are plenty of approved solar viewing devices available from these three companies. The viewers I ordered from Rainbow Symphony were mailed Monday, so by the time you read this I should have them in hand.

Why two columns in a row about getting proper protection for viewing the solar eclipse?

Simple. I don't want you to put your eyes out.

I feel like the advocate for stiffer gun laws who says, "If this saves just one life, it's worth it."

Or the preacher who says, "If we can save just one soul, it's worth it."

Or the mayor who says, referring to the need for storm-warning sirens, "If this keeps one person alive during a tornado, it's worth it."

It is, quite frankly, worth it if these reminders can save your eyes.

I can't tell you how many folks have told me, since my first column last Friday about viewing the eclipse, how they look at the sun all the time without going blind.

Two thoughts:

First, for all anyone knows these sun peekers ARE going blind and just don't know it yet. Or maybe some serious condition is developing in their eyes that they know nothing about.

Second, momentary glances at the sun, while probably not the best idea, may not cause permanent damage to your eyes. But the lure of a solar eclipse is different. This is something you want to watch probably for several minutes at a time. The temptation to look at the sun for extended amounts of time without proper protection is where the danger lies.

Buck up, folks. Maybe your mama thinks you're too old to smack some sense into your hard head. That's why I'm here. Consider this a decent swat on the noggin. Do the right thing. Get proper protection to view the Aug. 21 solar eclipse, which is a rare and wondrous event.

I haven't seen any solar eclipse eye protection for sale anywhere in Cape Girardeau. If it's out there, please check to make sure it was made by one of the three approved providers: Rainbow Symphony Inc., American Paper Optics or Thousand Oaks Optical.

You'll thank me when you're old and gray and still reading the Southeast Missourian. Heck, I may even still be writing this column -- just so I can warn you about the next eclipse, which will occur April 8, 2024. And guess where the best viewing for that eclipse will be. You got it. Southern Illinois near the bull's eye of this year's event crossing over Giant City State Park.

Joe Sullivan is the retired editor of the Southeast Missourian.