Where to buy Solar Eclipse viewing glasses in Portland

The big Solar Eclipse of 2017 is coming on August 21 and will hit the Continental United States FIRST in OREGON.

I’ve done some research to show you exactly where you can purchase solar eclipse viewing glasses in Portland and surrounding areas.

I am comfortable using generic product in almost every category but I feel really uneasy about going rogue with my eyesight. For that reason, I am only interested in purchasing a NASA-approved pair of glasses to view the eclipse.

NASA is telling us to only use solar eclipse viewing glasses that meet these criteria (view the PDF HERE):

1. Made from one of these five companies: American Paper Optics, Rainbow Symphony, Thousand Oaks Optical, Baader Planetarium (AstroSolar Silver/Gold film only), and TSE 17
2. Has the ISO reference 12312-2 listed on the glasses

So, I’m going to stick with NASA on this one and only share glasses that APPEAR to meet the two qualifications. As always, take responsibility and confirm my findings yourself.

It looks like you’re going to pay $1-$2 per pair. I strongly suggest you purchase your glasses NOW even if you’re buying them in the store because they will sell out.

Purchasing locally

According to Oregon Live, eclipse glasses are available at Fred Meyer, Bi-Mart, and Walmart for sure and possibly OMSI (I would call to see if they have stock). I saw some at my local 7-11, but I didn’t look for the reference numbers.

Again, I have not personally confirmed that the options at these stores meet the standards listed above.

Another option is to contact your local optometrist or eye care center to see if they have glasses for sale. For instance, Portland Eye Care in SE Portland has them for $3 each. Call before you go to confirm they have stock.

You can also check out this big list of reader suggestions on Facebook HERE. Suggestions include:

• Lions’ Club
• New Seasons
• FREE at your local library
• Safeway
• Lowe’s
• Shutterbug Camera
• Eye Health Northwest
• REI
• McDonald’s
• Almost any grocery store in the PDX area

Purchasing online

There are plenty of NASA-approved manufacturers on Amazon and some of them ship with Amazon Prime. Here are the ones I found that, if purchased now, will arrive in plenty of time:

• American Paper Optics Eclipse Glasses (Pack of 10) — $15.95
• Thousand Oaks Optical Solar Eclipse Glasses (Pack of 25) — $34.99
• Thousand Oaks Optical Solar Eclipse Glasses (Pack of 10) — $17.90
• Thousand Oaks Optical Solar Eclipse Viewers (Pack of 10) — $19.95
• Rainbow Symphony Solar Eclipse Hand-Held Card Viewers (Pack of 30) — $27.53
• TSE 17 Eclipse Glasses (Pack of 5) — $9.75
• TSE 17 Eclipse Glasses (Pack of 10) — $13.75

I think the only decision you need to make is if you want the glasses style (like 3-D glasses from the movie theater) or hand-held cards.

You can also roll the dice and order 4-8 free pairs from 2017solar.com. Looks like if you order before August 1, 2017 you should get yours but, as with all free things in life, it’s not guaranteed.

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