Couple suing Amazon over defective eclipse glasses that damaged their eyes

A couple who claims defective eclipse glasses purchased through Amazon damaged their eyes, is launching a proposed class action lawsuit against the online retailer.

The couple claims in the lawsuit, filed in federal court in the US state of South Carolina on Tuesday, that they purchased a three-pack of eclipse glasses on Amazon in early August, assuming that the glasses would allow them to safely view the US' first coast-to-coast total solar eclipse in a century on 21 August.

Later that day, Corey Payne and his fiancée, Kayla Harris started experiencing headaches and eye watering and in the following days, impaired vision, including blurriness and distorted vision, according to their lawsuit.

They claim they did not look into the sky without wearing the glasses while viewing the eclipse.

Amazon said, starting 10 August, it began to email customers to issue a recall of potentially hazardous solar eclipse glasses it had not been able to verify as having been manufactured by reputable companies.

Payne and Harris said they did not receive notice of the recall and are looking to represent customers who did not receive warning from Amazon and suffered similar injuries from the company's alleged negligence.

Experts had cautioned the public against unsafe counterfeits flooding the US in the run-up to the event.

In the lawsuit, the couple claims, the glasses were defective and that Amazon was negligent in allowing them to be sold. They are also accusing Amazon of unfair and deceptive trade practices.

They are asking class-action status for the lawsuit to allow other customers across the US to seek as-yet unspecified damages. They have also asked for a jury trial.

The legal action comes only a little more than a week after the 21 August total solar eclipse, and a little more than two weeks after Amazon sent out a highly publicised email warning customers about potentially unsafe glasses.