CLEVELAND — The mayor of Orange Village apologized to citizens this week after the village bought and gave out safety glasses for Monday's total solar eclipse that turned out to be defective.
In a Facebook post shared by the village on Tuesday, Mayor Judson A. Kline wrote to "express my regrets concerning the solar eclipse glasses the Village procured and distributed for our residents to enjoy the celestial event we experienced [Monday.]"
"Like all of you, I was disappointed by the glasses not functioning properly, which required me to scramble to be able to take in this spectacular event," Kline continued. "My hope is that you were able to experience the eclipse."
Ahead of Monday's total solar eclipse, officials stressed the importance of wearing safety glasses that comply with the ISO 12312-2 standard at all times before and after the moment of totality.
In his statement, Kline said the glasses given out by the village "were purchased from a NASA approved vendor and they also carried the ISO 12312-2 approval." (NASA has previously confirmed they don't certify or endorse any products, instead linking to a list of suppliers vetted by the American Astronomical Society.)
The good news for citizens who wore the defective glasses during Monday's eclipse is that they don't need to worry about eye injuries; the issue with the glasses did not have to do with safety.
In response to a question posed by a commenter on the Facebook post, the village clarified the issue "was that you could not see clearly. You could see but it was very, very dark."
Kline wrote that the village intends to "pursue compensation/restitution" from the vendor that sold the eclipse glasses.