Amazon Hit With Class Action Lawsuit Over Fake Eclipse Glasses

Amazon.com has been hit with a class action lawsuit alleging the online retailer sold eclipse glasses that cause “permanent blindness.”

The plaintiffs, a couple from South Carolina, allege in the Amazon eclipse glasses class action lawsuit that they were partially blinded after using the eyewear to watch the historic total solar eclipse on August 21.

According to the class action lawsuit, the couple is now experiencing personal injury including “blurriness, a central blind spot, increased sensitivity, changes in perception of color, and distorted vision.”

Amazon emailed customers who purchased defective and possibly counterfeit eclipse eyewear on August 19 before the event, but the plaintiffs allege they never received the message and that the “e-mail ‘recall’ was tragically too little, too late.”

“[Amazon’s] e-mail notification was insufficient to timely apprise customers of the defective nature of their glasses, and resulted in Plaintiffs and members of the proposed class using defective Eclipse Glasses,” claims the Amazon class action lawsuit.

The plaintiffs allege that the email did not sufficiently warn them and others that the eclipse glasses could cause blindness and other vision problems. The email, say the plaintiffs, noted that Amazon issued the recall “out of an abundance of caution,” which did not disclose the scale of the recall or list of vendors.

Fake Eclipse Glasses Sold by Other Vendors

The historic North American eclipse of 2017 was rocked with fake eclipse glasses scandals.



Just prior to the event on August 21, glasses were recalled for not providing enough protection. The company that made the allegedly fake eclipse glasses, American Paper Optics, was not included in the class action lawsuit.

“The popularity of the 2017 [Total Solar Eclipse ‘TSE’] created an economic boom for Eclipse Glasses makers. As of July 27, 2017, it was reported that American Paper Optics, located in Bartlett, Tennessee, had produced 37 million Eclipse Glasses, and was expecting to make and sell 100 million. USA Today reported that approximately 10 million Eclipse Glasses manufactured by American Paper Optics were sold to Amazon,” notes the Amazon class action lawsuit.

The eclipse glasses that caused blindness were sold in packs of 3 and 20, allege the plaintiffs. The glasses were distributed to those who never would have received an email notice from Amazon about the recall.

In addition to vision problems experienced after the eclipse, those who used the recalled eclipse glasses will require medical monitoring for the early detection of such eye injury, disease or disease resulting from exposure to the sun, allege the plaintiffs. The recalled eclipse glasses will even cause permanent blindness in some users.

The plaintiffs seek to represent a nationwide class of individuals who used eclipse glasses purchased from Amazon, along with a subclass of those residing in South Carolina.

The plaintiffs claim that Amazon violated South Carolina consumer protection laws and national trade laws. The plaintiffs also say that Amazon was negligent in the way that they recalled the eclipse glasses, that it failed to warn consumers, and was in breach of warranty. They further allege Amazon was unjustly enriched by selling the eclipse glasses that caused blindness.

The plaintiffs are seeking damages, including future medical expenses for vision problems caused by the eclipse glasses for class members.

If you were injured after using defective eclipse eyewear or another type of defective product, you may be eligible for compensation. Fill out the form on this page now for a FREE case evaluation and to see if you qualify to join a class action lawsuit.