Eye protection, in general, is often played down as being trivial. However, that’s not the case in reality. According to one research, almost two thousand people suffer from eye injuries. Experts believe that eye injuries can be prevented just by wearing proper eye protection. Hence, it makes every bit of sense put on safety eyewear – at work, home or during sports – to keep your eyes intact against any unforeseen hazards. In the same vein, this article consists of some salient tips that aid you in choosing an eye protection PPE that does the job perfectly of protecting your eyes on the go.
1. Check For ANSI Rating
ANSI (American National Standards Institute) is a regulatory organization that oversees eye safety standards for employees at workplaces. Most high-grade safety glasses, that promise a reasonable level of safety assurance, comply with ANSI Z87.1 standard. The very standard helps offer a high impact resistance against hazards that involve blunt trauma or any other high-speed accident. You can check for an ANSI marking by looking at the inside of frame temples of your glasses.
2. Consult With Safety Manager
It’s always helpful to have a preliminary consultation that will equip you with a better idea of what safety equipment you really require. For instance, some people may be better off by just wearing OTG (Over The Glass) for a good reason. As OTG eyeglasses don’t have any prescription lenses in them, they can be used by anyone who wears RX glasses. Moreover, it saves the company the cost of buying personalized eyewear for everyone.
However, there are instances when safety glasses for employees need to be customized for vision correction purposes. This requires ordering safety glasses that allow prescription lenses in them. Therefore, it’s imperative for employees to seek advice from the program manager to be better able to ascertain their own optical needs.
3. Choose Polycarbonate Lenses
Although most prescription glasses come with glass or plastic lenses, safety glasses require something more robust. Polycarbonate material boasts ten times greater durability than glass/plastic lenses. This is why it is recommended by ANSI to be used in eyewear that guarantees shatterproof protection. However, polycarbonate lenses are more prone to getting scratched easily. To counter this problem, you’ll need to have an anti-scratch coating in your eyewear.
4. Add Lens Coatings
Lens coatings are a great way to improve the visual experience offered by your protective eyeglasses. There’s a wide range of lens add-ons, each tailored for a specific purpose. High quality PPE brands let you customize your safety glasses. However, you need to be aware of the hazards that your work environment entails.
For example, if you’re someone who suffers from fogged lenses at your job. Does your workplace pack a lot of heat or is situated somewhere very cold? In either case, it’s common to experience beclouded lenses that obstruct vision. An anti-fog coating prevents this by absorbing the vapors of water & spreading it evenly on your lenses.
Another great option is an anti-reflective coating that reduces digital eye strain & irritation caused by staring for too long at digital devices. This is excellent for people who have to work using computers in their line of work. Moreover, when shopping for eyeglasses online, you should always check if the coating has a blue light filter in it as well.
5. Pick Frames That Offer Comfort
Along with the right prescription lenses, the frame style of glasses is important when it comes to the comfort offered by any eyewear. Your eyeglasses should be easy to wear for long hours, especially if your workplace safety standards require you to do so. One popular frame shape is the ‘wraparound’ shape.
The frame shape has temples curved in such a way to provide greater protection. The temple tips cover a greater portion of your face at the hinges & provide a snug fit so that your glasses stay perched on your nose even if there’s a lot of head movement. It also offers a sporty aesthetic that has a certain visual appeal to it. On the whole, you should carefully select a frame style that truly works for you.
