Welder's shade 14 glass: good enough for the eclipse?

Welder's shade 14 glass: the debate over watching the eclipse without ruining your eyesight

At 8.30 pm, the sun will set with the moon covering between 97 and 100% of its disc. Some claim that a few seconds' glance through a DIN14 welding glass poses no risk; others reply that the retina is no place for experiments. In between lies a fact that settles it: cardboard glasses with the right plastic filter cost less than three euros.

Trust in welding glass has a history. Until recently, shade 14 was considered safe for looking at the sun. The recommendations have changed, and it's not hard to see in that shift a mix of scientific caution and business: certification isn't free, and someone has to pay for it. Scepticism towards the new dogma makes sense, but so does the warning: ultraviolet radiation passes through the atmosphere even at sunset, and the sun is at the same distance.

The controversy has become entangled with dark humour. The fact that ONCE, Spain's organisation for the visually impaired, is one of the sales points for certified glasses is a detail that needs no underlining. The practical question remains on the table: if your eyesight is at stake for less than three euros, is it worth arguing about whether welding glass works?

The answer, as almost always, depends on who is selling the solution. But with maximum occlusion in sight, pragmatism seems cheaper than orthodoxy. Business or caution? Time, and everyone's retina, will tell.