Eclipse glasses are selling out in the Rogue Valley - News - MailTribune.com - Medford, OR

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Eclipse glasses are selling out in the Rogue Valley ISO-certified eclipse glasses appear to be sold out in the Rogue Valley. Thursday Aug 17, 2017 at 1:33 PM Aug 17, 2017 at 5:07 PM By Tran Nguyen Mail Tribune It might be too late for those wishing they had a pair of U.S certified glasses to watch Monday's solar eclipse. About 50 people lined up outside Black Bird Shopping Center Thursday morning to snag a pair for 99 cents each, manager Tony Young said. "There was a line like you couldn't believe," Young said. "We sold out in 30 or 40 minutes." That amounts to 400 pairs, Young said. Black Bird has sold more than 2,000 pairs of ISO glasses since Aug. 8. U.S. certified glasses that meet the ISO 12312-2 standard for safety became a hot item in Oregon after an Amazon recall of non-certified glasses Aug. 14. Now Oregonians are scrambling for certified eyewear. Northwest Nature Shop in Ashland has sold more than 4,000 pairs in the past month, owner Chris Uhtoff said. The shop had a few pairs left Thursday. "We do have a few pairs," Uhtoff said. "I went to Klamath Falls to buy some there — now they are all sold out everywhere in the Rogue Valley." Uhtoff said his shop will limit sales to a pair per customer or per group because of the scarcity. "I'd recommend sharing the glasses that are made in the U.S. instead of using those made in China because of safety reasons," he said. The Target on Crater Lake Highway in Medford still had U.S. certified solar eclipse glasses in stock at as of about 4 p.m. Thursday, a sale associate said. "But hurry, they're going fast," she said. Fred Meyer stores in Medford were all sold out, employees said. NASA and the American Astronomical Society have warned that looking directly into the sun could result in permanent damage to the eyes, including blurry vision and blindness. The eclipse will occur locally at about 10:17 a.m. Monday. People in the Rogue Valley will see about 93 percent of the sun obscured by the moon. — Reach reporting intern Tran Nguyen at 541-776-4485 or [email protected].