Essex shop's demand for rare solar eclipse glasses 'like the pandemic'They said the demand for the glasses has been "chaos"View Image Steven Hickey, 51, and his daughter, Alexa, have been selling specialist eclipse glasses in Rayleigh (Image: Matt Lee/EssexLive)A hardware shop owner has compared the intense demand for specialist eclipse glasses as similar to stockpiling during the coronavirus lockdown. People are desperately trying to get their hands on a pair of glasses which protect eyes when viewing a solar eclipse. ‌It's led to major retailers selling out of the glasses, while a hardware shop in Rayleigh described the demand as being akin to the pandemic. Steven Hickey, 51, of Hickey's DIY in Rayleigh, sold out of the glasses on Tuesday (August 11). Only special solar eclipse glasses that are ISO 12312-2 certified for the safest eye protection should be used to view the eclipse.