“I can confirm that, at this moment, no opticians are offering the glasses,” Ivone Fachada, a director at Ciência Viva (the National Agency for Scientific and Technological Culture), told Lusa.

It was possible to reserve the free glasses from anywhere in the country via the website clubdavisão.pt; stock had been topped up on the afternoon of 6 August, but by 1:30 pm today, they were already sold out.

Fachada indicated that she did not know if there would be another stock replenishment later in the day.

“I advise people to check with some of those 660 opticians [listed on clubdavisão.pt] later to see if there might be any further stock replenishment. It could happen. I would tell people to keep an eye out, since these are free,” the official added.

Fachada noted that some Ciência Viva centres are offering glasses with the purchase of a family ticket.

“We saw today [5 August] that the Lagos Ciência Viva Centre [in the Faro district] will be giving away 50 pairs of glasses with the purchase of 25 family tickets; so, 25 families could still benefit if they go to the Lagos Ciência Viva Centre and participate in its workshops. Otherwise, I really think it is becoming very, very difficult to get the glasses at this stage,” she explained.

Those unable to obtain free glasses to view the total solar eclipse, which begins around 6:30pm and ends at 8:30pm on the 12th, can purchase them at pharmacies, select online stores, and supermarkets for around three euros; Ivone Fachada emphasises the importance of verifying the glasses’ certification.

Certified glasses are marked with the ISO 12312-2 standard [certification for solar observation], a visible CE mark [indicating the product meets EU requirements], and a reference to Regulation (EU) 2016/425.

Ivone Fachada also advised against using mobile phones or cameras to record the eclipse, noting that these devices could be damaged because they are neither designed nor equipped for direct sunlight and lack appropriate solar filters.