Safety Eyewear

Thousands of eye injuries are reported every single day in the USA, 90 percent of which could have been prevented had they worn safety eyewear. There is no excuse for not wearing safety eyewear as they are highly affordable, with prices starting at just US $1, and with a huge range of fashionable styles, colors, shapes and sizes.

Safety eyewear differ in many ways from regular eyewear. Instead of just protecting your eyes from the front, they protect them from all angles. Most safety glasses these days have a fashionable wraparound style, although many still have side protection panels instead. Many have brow protectors as well to protect your eyes from above.

Only eyewear that has been certified by the ANSI (American National Standards Institute) can be sold as safety eyewear. Safety eyewear comes in two main level of protection: basic impact and high impact. Basic impact safety glasses are given a marking of Z87 to indicate that they have passed the basic impact safety tests. Basic impact safety eyewear is tested by dropping a 1 inch diameter steel ball on the lenses from a height of 10 feet. If the lenses don't crack, chip or break they will be given the Z87 basic impact safety rating. High impact safety glasses have much more rigorous testing. Both the lens and the frame are tested, and a ¼ inch steel ball is shot at the eyewear at a speed of 50 feet per second. Only if the safety eyewear does not crack, break, chip or the lens come away from the frame will it be given a Z87+ high impact safety rating.

 

 

The lenses of safety eyewear are made from very strong, shatter-resistant materials. The most common material used in safety eyewear is polycarbonate. It is much lighter than traditional materials and much stronger, however it scratches much more easily than plastic or glass lenses. This can be overcome by purchasing an anti-scratch hard coating for the lenses, and many come with it already on.

Safety eyewear can be purchased both as prescription and non-prescription lenses. Prescription safety eyewear must be purchased from an eye-care practitioner or opticians. There are several online opticians that sell prescription safety eyewear, however you will first need to get a prescription off of an eye doctor. Non-prescription safety eyewear can be purchased from most hardware and building supplies stores, however many employers provide safety eyewear to their employees free of charge if they are working in a potentially dangerous environment.

The majority of eye injuries occur to construction workers who are constantly surrounded with dust, wood shavings, chemicals and other dangerous materials. Even a small flake of dust can cause permanent eye damage.

 

* AO SUNGLASSES are NOT ANSI Z87.1-2003 safety glasses

 

Safety eyewear provide all sorts of safety elements, not only impact resistance. They can also protect against chemical splatters and are heat resistant to certain temperatures. They will also protect from UV rays. You can purchase safety eyewear with a huge range of different lenses to suit your needs- such as tinted, polarized, and with extra hard anti-scratch coatings.

One of the most important aspects to think about when choosing your safety eyewear is to ensure that they are comfortable to wear. If they are not comfortable you may be inclined to take them off and subject yourself to danger. Many safety glasses come with comfortable padding around the nose and ears to ensure that they are as comfortable as possible for the wearer. Many have adjustable nose pads so you can ensure a more customized fit. You may also want to purchase additional restrainer straps to prevent you losing, dropping or damaging your glasses when they aren't in use.

Safety glasses are an essential item for any worker, and there is no excuse to compromise the safety of your eyes. Eyes are incredibly sensitive and are very easily damaged, even just from the sun. A very comfortable and fashionable pair of safety eyewear can be purchased for less than $5, and there are a huge number of brands available including AO Safety, Pyramex and Olympic.