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Amazon Sold Eclipse Glasses That Cause 'Permanent Blindness,' Alleges Lawsuit (arstechnica.com)
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: A South Carolina couple claims in a proposed federal class-action lawsuit (PDF) that Amazon sold defective eclipse-watching glasses that partially blinded them during the historic coast-to-coast solar eclipse on August 21. Corey Payne and fiance Kayla Harris say in their lawsuit that because of the eyewear Payne purchased from Amazon, the couple is now suffering from "blurriness, a central blind spot, increased sensitivity, changes in perception of color, and distorted vision." Amazon issued a recall of defective and perhaps counterfeit eclipse eyewear in an e-mail sent out to customers before the event. Payne said he did not receive the message. His suit seeks to represent others who were injured or may be injured from the eyewear purchased on Amazon. The alleged Tennessee-based maker of the glasses, American Paper Optics, is not named in the suit. The suit seeks funds "for medical monitoring" because "Plaintiffs and members of the proposed class have or will experience varying degrees of eye injury ranging from temporary discomfort to permanent blindness." The suit also demands unspecified monetary damages, punitive damages, and legal fees and costs.
I remember back in the day being told that it wasn't safe to look at the sun even with heavily filtered/polarized glasses during an eclipse. Not even welding masks or goggles were safe, and the only safe way to look at an eclipse was via an indirect method like a pinhole projector. Even now I see the warnings suggest that even with "proper" viewing glasses, you really shouldn't expose yourself for more than a few minutes.
The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
You'd think Amazon of all companies could have kept a close eye on their supply chain for these things
...the glasses didn't so much cause permanent blindness as they merely failed to prevent permanent blindness.
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Can you win a lawsuit with a car company over a fault if they've already sent recall notices?
"I don't know, therefore Aliens" Wafflebox1
The couple bought some glasses on Amazon for viewing the eclipse. When Amazon found out that the glasses wouldn't be safe for that, they issued a recall. Not only that, but the recall notice was in the NATIONAL NEWS! People I know who don't shop on Amazon, or are interested in the eclipse knew about the recall. ***Why didn't the plaintiffs?***
Summary judgement for the defendant.
I bought a package of the glasses from Amazon (third party was Beemo) and got the email about a week before saying "Don't use them! Amazon has not received confirmation from the supplier of your order that they sourced the item from a recommended manufacturer."
They seemed adequately dark. The sun (from a brief glance) was a dim orange sphere, and nothing else can be seen through them.
I did go ahead and get a pair of the real deal glasses. They had a metallic look to them that the Beemo ones did not, but the sun looked the same through them. I suppose the arguably fake ones might be passing UV that the real ones don't.
Either way, I didn't stare at the sun for minutes through the legit ones, either, just a quick look every now and then.
I suspect some of this may be a paperwork issue rather than a real one, though there were apparently some really bad fakes that I haven't run across.
They should really be suing the Retailer with the Amazon store, but where is the huge pay out there ;)
It will be interesting to see how this turns out! Amazon has a boat load of cash to pay out, but they also could use that boat load of cash to hire armies of the best lawyers in the country.
My take, the "Scum Sucking" lawyers doing this will not win the Law Suit Lottery!!!
Blindness? Bull! Trump stared directly at the sun without glasses and is perfectly nor.......oh, wait, nevermind.
Table-ized A.I.
Lawyers will always sue the company that has the most money.
The shadows through the leaves are pretty damn cool.
If you want a vision of the future, imagine a youtube comments section scrolling - forever.
Amazon recalled some glasses which they believed to be counterfeit. Amazon has also said that customers who did not receive an email purchased glasses that were safe to use. The plaintiffs did not receive an email. Reading the suit, it doesn't make any claim that counterfeit glasses were received, but rather that they got glasses made by American Paper Optics, a reputable vendor according to the American Astronomical Society.
Further, the plaintiffs claim eye damage, but offer no evidence, not even a claim to have seen an ophthalmologist.
I smell some bloodsucking lawyers and plaintiffs trying to scam a big payoff.
"National Security is the chief cause of national insecurity." - Celine's First Law
Joey Bada$$ proved it!
It's not brightness that's a factor, but the fact that wavelengths of light in the UV spectrum cause damage to cells. The amount of UV radiation given off by the sun is greater than what one would be exposed to while welding, even if the intensity of light in the visible range is greater.
So, the issue with cheap eclipse glasses is that they block most of the visible spectrum, but don't block an appropriate amount of UV, so those wavelengths travel right past your dilated pupils and strike the retina while you stare. Think of what happens when you get a sunburn - UV radiation damages cells in your skin - and imagine the same thing happening to the inside of your eyes.
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