Where to buy the glasses to see the eclipse of August 12: prices and how to know if they are approved

The marketing of approved optical products in the EU (prescription glasses, frames, ophthalmic lenses, contact lenses, solutions, etc.) is essentially governed by their classification as medical devices with CE marking. The common framework is set by Regulation (EU) 2017/745 on medical devices, while in Spain it is complemented by Royal Decree 192/2023. When these products are also used as protective equipment (for example, safety glasses with prescription), the Regulation (EU) 2016/425 on personal protective equipment also comes into play. From there, requirements for safety and performance, CE marking, technical documentation, post-market surveillance, and specific obligations for manufacturers, authorized representatives, importers, and distributors are articulated.

Basic regulatory framework in the EU and Spain

Regulation (EU) 2017/745 establishes a “robust, transparent, predictable and sustainable” framework for medical devices and their accessories, harmonizing the rules for market introduction and commissioning in the Union, with the aim of ensuring a high level of health protection and the free movement of goods. This regulation:

• Sets the general safety and performance requirements (Annex I).
• Defines the risk classes and conformity assessment procedures.
• Strengthens market surveillance and control, clinical evaluation, and oversight of notified bodies.
• Introduces the unique device identification (UDI) system and the European Eudamed database for traceability.
• Develops the obligations of economic operators, including distributors and importers.

In Spain, Royal Decree 192/2023 specifies this framework for medical devices for human use and their accessories. It regulates, among other aspects:

• The competent authority (Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices, AEMPS).
• Health guarantees and language regime.
• Marketing and commissioning in Spain and trade within the EU market.
• Prior operating licenses for manufacturing, importing, assembling, and sterilization.
• The surveillance system and market inspection and control.

Classification, CE marking, and essential requirements

Optical products that correct or protect vision fall within the scope of Article 1 of Regulation (EU) 2017/745, so they must comply with its requirements before being placed on the market. Royal Decree 192/2023 states that:

• Products “may only be placed on the market, marketed and/or put into service if they meet the requirements established” in Regulation (EU) 2017/745 and in the Royal Decree itself.
• At the time of commissioning in Spain, they must include the information from section 23 of Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2017/745, at least in Spanish, in an “effective, truthful and sufficient” manner about their essential characteristics.

When an optical product intended for eye protection is also conceived as personal protective equipment, Royal Decree 192/2023 establishes that it must comply, in addition to the medical device regulations, with those applicable to personal protective equipment, that is, the framework derived from Regulation (EU) 2016/425.

Obligations of manufacturer, importer, distributor, and representative

Regulation (EU) 2017/745 develops the obligations of the “different economic operators, including distributors and importers.” On that basis, Royal Decree 192/2023 specifies in Spain:

• Manufacturers: must implement a quality management system, ensure the product meets safety and performance requirements, prepare the technical file, apply conformity assessment procedures, and affix the CE marking.
• Importers: a prior operating license is required for those who introduce products from third countries into the EU market, and they must verify that the product bears CE marking, is accompanied by the required documentation, and that the manufacturer has fulfilled their obligations.
• Distributors: must ensure that, before sale, the product bears CE marking, that labeling and instructions are in the required language (in Spain, at least Spanish), and that it has been properly stored.
• Authorized representative in the EU (when the manufacturer is outside the EU): assumes, by written mandate, part of the obligations of document retention, cooperation with authorities, and incident management.

Technical documentation and post-market surveillance

The European framework requires every medical device to have a technical file demonstrating compliance with the requirements of Annex I of Regulation (EU) 2017/745, including product description, risk analysis, clinical evaluation, testing, and justification of the risk class.

Additionally, Royal Decree 192/2023 establishes a surveillance system and market control coordinated between AEMPS and autonomous communities. Products must be “properly maintained by duly qualified personnel, ensuring that during their period of use, they retain the safety and performance intended by their manufacturer.” Manufacturers, importers, and distributors are obliged to report incidents and take corrective measures when risks are detected.

In summary, to market approved optical products in the EU it is essential to correctly classify them as medical devices (and, if applicable, PPE), comply with the essential safety and performance requirements of Regulation (EU) 2017/745, pass conformity assessment, have a technical file, affix CE marking, and respect the specific obligations of each economic operator, as developed in Spain by Royal Decree 192/2023.

The National Geographic Institute (IGN) is not the health or civil protection authority, but it does have a key competence: providing the official astronomical information of the State and the technical tools that allow planning a safe observation of phenomena such as eclipses. Through the National Astronomical Observatory, the IGN calculates trajectories, schedules, and characteristics of eclipses and makes that information available to administrations and the public. Interior, Health, Consumer Affairs, Autonomous Communities, and municipalities then rely on this scientific basis to issue safety rules and protocols. In practice, the IGN is the “official data provider” that makes it possible to organize effective safety devices and well-founded prevention campaigns.

IGN’s competence framework in astronomy

According to the Ministry of Transport’s note, the IGN is the governing center that “has the competencies to provide official information in astronomy through the National Astronomical Observatory” (digital resources for the eclipse). This includes:

• Calculation and prediction of eclipses and other astronomical phenomena visible from Spain.
• Public dissemination of that information through websites, publications, and official applications.
• Technical assistance to other ministries and agencies (Interior, Science, Tourism, etc.) when they prepare special devices for major astronomical events.

The National Astronomical Observatory, dependent on the IGN, calculates, for example, the exact time of solstices and other astronomical milestones, as covered in the piece about summer 2026 (solstice 2026).

IGN tools for safe observation

IGN’s main contribution to safety is to enable people to know where, when, and how the phenomenon will be seen, and which places should be avoided due to physical risk or poor visibility:

• Official cartographic viewers: The Ministry of Transport, through the National Geographic Information Center, has launched a viewer for the August 12, 2026 eclipse that allows consulting schedules, Sun altitude, path of totality, terrain influence, and a “shadow map” identifying areas where observation is discouraged due to orographic obstacles (digital resources for the eclipse).
• “IGN Eclipses” application, available in mobile stores, which provides access to those viewers and official data.
• Popular science book “Solar Eclipses. The Spanish eclipses of 2026, 2027 and 2028,” downloadable from the IGN website, which includes “instructions and advice for optimal observation” and reminds that observing the Sun entails risks and requires protecting the eyes with eclipse glasses that comply with regulations (digital resources for the eclipse).
• Specific interactive maps such as those described in the Demócrata newspaper, which allow any municipality to know how the eclipse will be seen, with what percentage of coverage and for how long (eclipse map 2026).

Safety protocols and coordination with other administrations

In the strictly health and civil protection field, competencies lie with other departments, but they rely on the IGN’s work:

• Interior and the DGT explicitly cite the IGN’s “official eclipse page” as a reference for maps, trajectories, schedules, and “critical observation points” in their notes on the special traffic device (Traffic recommendations and Interior-DGT note).
• The Prime Minister has designated the Yebes Observatory, the main astronomical observatory of the IGN, as the “official monitoring center” of the total eclipse, from where scientific monitoring and media information are coordinated (Trio of Eclipses meeting).
• According to Demócrata, the IGN “has begun disseminating safety protocols with the aim that the observation of the phenomenon is carried out without health risks,” emphasizing the use of approved glasses and avoiding homemade filters or ordinary sunglasses (Destinia and eclipse).

On that basis, other ministries launch their own campaigns: Consumer Affairs reminds that only certified glasses with CE marking are safe (Consumer note), and Interior activates a State Coordination Committee due to risks associated with crowds, mobility, or heat (CECOD eclipse).

Limits of IGN’s competence

In summary, the IGN:

• Does have the state competence to produce and disseminate official astronomical information and develop technical tools that help choose safe observation locations.
• Does not issue health regulations, does not approve glasses, nor coordinate emergencies: these functions correspond to Health, Consumer Affairs, Interior, Civil Protection, and autonomous communities.

Its role regarding safety is therefore essentially scientific-technical and educational: it provides the astronomical data and criteria without which it would be much more difficult to safely organize the mass observation of phenomena such as eclipses.

According to available information, the autonomous communities that have more clearly articulated campaigns or specific actions linked to the safe observation of the solar eclipse (or very closely, ocular photoprotection against intense solar radiation) are mainly **Aragón** and **Illes Balears**, with public health measures and educational material, and, to a lesser extent, general solar protection actions in **Andalucía** and **Canarias** that are not focused solely on eclipses. Additionally, a significant part of the informational effort is being coordinated from the central Government (MICIU, AEMPS, Ministry of Health) and scientific entities, with deployment throughout the territory. For other autonomous communities (Catalonia, Basque Country, Community of Madrid as autonomous government, etc.) no specific autonomous campaign on eclipses appears in the sources, although there are state and municipal initiatives that reach them. No further information is available in the consulted sources about additional specific autonomous campaigns.

Aragón: educational plan and distribution of glasses in schools

At the autonomous level, the clearest case is that of **Aragón**. The regional government presents itself as “the best prepared region” for the August eclipse and has incorporated a strong educational and preventive component: according to the Demócrata piece about Aragón, all students in Early Childhood and Primary Education will receive recommendations to observe the eclipse safely, along with glasses approved according to current regulations. This action is part of a broader strategic plan, with an interdepartmental working group and coordination with the General State Administration.

The combination of educational material and distribution of approved glasses makes the Aragonese strategy a genuine autonomous informative campaign on safe observation: preventive messages are conveyed to minors and families, the use of certified filters is emphasized, and visual safety is integrated into the general planning of the event.

Illes Balears: health warnings and glasses control

Another explicit autonomous example is that of **Illes Balears**. The Public Health Department has issued very specific recommendations for the eclipse, reported by Demócrata in the news about Balearic Islands. Among other points:

• It is discouraged that children under 6 years look directly at the eclipse.
• It is stressed that there is only “one safe way to view the eclipse”: approved glasses with ISO 12312-2 certification.
• Warnings against “homemade experiments” (smoked glass, X-rays, sunglasses, polarized filters, etc.).

In parallel, the autonomous consumer department is carrying out an “autonomous campaign to control the labeling of glasses and CE marking,” destroying dozens of units that do not meet requirements. Although this is an inspection action, it is accompanied by public warning messages, which in practice functions as an informative campaign on visual safety for the eclipse.

Other relevant actions: State and national entities

Beyond the communities, a large part of the communication is being channeled from the Government of Spain and state agencies, impacting all the autonomous communities:

• The campaign “A unique view. Take care of it,” by the Ministry of Science and the ONCE Social Group, which includes the free distribution of two million glasses and educational materials, described in several Demócrata pieces: Government and ONCE, distribution details, free glasses and usage guide.
• Messages of caution from the Prime Minister and MICIU, insisting on approved glasses and avoiding homemade methods, in this news.
• Safety protocols and interactive maps from the National Geographic Institute for all Spain, disseminated in “Eclipse 2026: time and map” and “Eclipse 2026 map”.
• Health warnings from OCU, pediatricians, and ophthalmologists — including the EN ISO 12312‑2:2015 standard — in OCU article, pediatricians, ICQO ophthalmologist, Fernández‑Vega Institute and Miranza group.

General photoprotection campaigns in other communities

There are also autonomous campaigns on **sunglasses and photoprotection** not expressly linked to eclipses, but to ocular safety against intense radiation. For example, the Andalusian Government has disseminated consumer recommendations on safe sunglasses, CE marking, and ISO 12312 standard in the note “CE marking and filter category…”. Similarly, the Canary Islands Government has promoted a skin cancer prevention campaign with sun protection measures, covered in this note. Although relevant for visual health, they are not presented as specific “eclipse observation” campaigns.

Limitations of available information

In the consulted sources (especially the Demócrata newspaper) there are no clear references to autonomous campaigns on safe eclipse observation promoted by, for example, the Generalitat of Catalonia, Basque Government, or the Community of Madrid as autonomous administration, beyond state, scientific, or municipal actions (such as the distribution of glasses by the Madrid City Council mentioned in this guide). It is possible that informative actions exist in those communities, but they are not recorded in the analyzed news, so nothing more can be stated without leaving the available evidence.