Remove eclipse glasses just before totality

Solar eclipse glasses should be removed no more than 15 seconds before totality begins, mbl.is reports, citing advice from optician Kristinn Kristinsson at the Glerauganu eyewear shop on Faxafen in Reykjavík.

Kristinn says the film in the glasses is strong enough to allow people to look directly at the sun through them for several minutes. However, the glasses available at his shop are labelled with a recommendation not to look at the sun through them for more than three minutes at a time. They provide full protection against ultraviolet light.

According to the website solmyrkvi2026.is, viewers should remove the glasses shortly before totality to watch the eclipse. When totality ends and the first rays of sunlight reappear, the sun will be too bright to view safely with the naked eye. The glasses should then be put back on, with only occasional glances at the remaining partial eclipse.