Certified eclipse glasses sell out across Portugal ahead of August 12 total solar eclipse

Free glasses exhausted nationwide

Ciência Viva, Portugal's national agency for scientific culture, distributed free certified eclipse glasses through 660 opticians listed on clubdavisão.pt. Stock was reinforced on Tuesday afternoon but sold out by Wednesday at 13:30. Ivone Fachada, from Ciência Viva's directorate, confirmed that no optician currently has glasses available and said she did not know whether a new restock would occur.

She advised the public to keep checking the listed opticians for possible restocks throughout the day. Some science centers are offering glasses with the purchase of a family ticket: the Centro de Ciência Viva de Lagos offers 50 pairs with 25 family tickets, and 22 other centers may run similar campaigns.

Pharmacy demand surges in Bragança

In Bragança, the city closest to the path of totality, pharmacies and opticians report intense demand. At Farmácia Bem Saúde, director Eugénia Baptista said about 1,300 glasses have been sold, half in the last month alone, with stock running out over the weekend. The supplier was supposed to deliver on Friday but only managed Tuesday, which she described as stressful for customers. She also reported selling glasses to people who live in Lisbon and traveled to Bragança for the eclipse.

We have had to reinforce stock several times, it has been very intense and we believe that until the 12th it will be a very intense demand. In fact, over the weekend we had a stockout, the supplier was supposed to deliver on Friday and only managed to deliver yesterday [Tuesday] and it was very stressful for people.

Farmácia Cantarias sold over 500 glasses and is taking reservations for families, according to pharmacist Juliana Silva. At ótica Íris Visão, optometrist Annie Teixeira reported high demand but a cancelled reservation due to supplier shortages. She warned of irreversible burns from looking directly at the sun and stressed that glasses must carry the ISO 12312-2 certification.

Eclipse details and viewing conditions

The total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, occurs when the Earth, Moon, and Sun align perfectly. In Portugal, totality will be visible only in a restricted area of the Parque Natural de Montesinho near Bragança, specifically in Rio de Onor, where totality lasts about 26 seconds around 19:30. The rest of continental Portugal will see between 92% and 99% obscuration, with Bragança at 99.9% and Porto at 98.8%. The Azores and Madeira will see 74% to 77%.

The eclipse begins at 18:37 and ends at 20:29. The last total solar eclipse observed in Portugal was in 1912, and the next will be in 2144.

Expert guidance and safety warnings

João Lima, a solar astrophysicist and professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto, plans to drive to Spain on August 11 for a longer totality of about 1 minute and 24 seconds in Lugo, Galicia. He warned against misinformation on social media suggesting the use of X-rays.

There is only one safe way to observe the eclipse: with properly certified solar eclipse observation glasses.

Ivone Fachada cautioned against using phones or cameras to record the eclipse, as devices may suffer damage from direct sunlight without appropriate solar filters. She also warned that the retina can be burned without the observer feeling pain.

We can be looking at the sun, our retina is being burned and we don't feel pain at the moment of observation.

Certified glasses are identified by the ISO 12312-2 standard, the CE mark, and Regulation (EU) 2016/425. Glasses remain available for purchase in pharmacies, online stores, and supermarkets for around three euros.