The glasses to see the eclipse can be fragile and easily soiled with fingers, for example. Can you clean them up? Here's how to do it safely and without screwing it up so you can see everything safe.
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12/08/2026
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A race to the protective glasses to see the eclipse was more than much. They have exhausted in many places and are essential to observe the phenomenon of Wednesday. If you got a pair, you better take good care of them. If you soil them on the lens, either with fingers or with something else, it's best to be careful when cleaning them without spoiling them.
The American Astronomical Society website shared some tips to be able to clean these glasses in the best way, without spoiling and in order to see the eclipse in the best conditions.
Eclipse. How to clean glasses
Is it a good idea to use some kind of eyeglass product to clean these filtered lenses? Is a special cloth necessary or is it enough for a regular paper or napkin? It's best to follow directions not to damage the glasses.
They explain that the ideal is to use the microfiber cloth that you normally use to clean your ordinary or sunglasses. You should be careful not to use more abrasive papers and eventually damage the lens and filter.
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Do not recommend the use of wet tissues and paper as a wipes. They explain that the paper or card part of the glasses should be kept dry to prevent it from swelling and eventually spending the lenses.
They explain that too should avoid cleaning with water, cleaning glass or other liquid that ends up damaging the lenses and part of the paper.
Take off your glasses to see the solar eclipse?
According to an article from El País, experts argue that it is safe to do so; however, on the other hand, optometrist associations warn that “look directly at the solar eclipse, without proper protection, can cause serious and irreversible eye damage”.
Astrophysicist Jorge Pérez Gallego points out that “when the eclipse reaches 100% it will stay at night”, that is, “only then can you remove the eclipse glasses to look at the sun”.
Marcos Pérez Maldonado, director of the Coruñese Scientific Museums, agrees: “If you don’t take them out right now, you will lose the most spectacular image of the phenomenon.”.
Following this perspective, the American Astronomical Society, NASA and ESA advise the removal of glasses during the entire eclipse. However, they highlight the importance of maintaining them during a partial eclipse and annular eclipse.
Still, choosing a more cautious approach, vision specialists make no distinction between the types and phases of eclipses.
The secret is not to take off your glasses too early when the total darkness begins and does not wait long to put them back when it is over.
This last point is important, since after a period of darkness the pupils become dilated, increasing the risk of eye damage caused by sudden exposure to intense sunlight.