How Do Safety Glasses Protect Your Eyes?
A lot of people don’t wear safety glasses, but they are a crucial part of personal protective equipment (PPE). Without proper eye protection, more than 2.4 million eye injuries occur every year in the United States.
90% of these injuries could have been prevented with the use of approved and authorized eyewear. Learn how safety glasses and protective goggles protect your eyes, and what they’re best suited for.
They Prevent Eye Injuries
Eye injuries are largely preventable with appropriate protective eyewear. However, many people are not aware of the risks to their eyes or are unsure how to protect their eyes. This can lead to serious injury or even blindness.
Workplaces, including factories, construction sites, mining, and hospitals, require workers to wear protective eyewear as well as other personal safety equipment. In addition to protecting against impact and chemicals, these glasses can also lessen the severity of an eye injury.
Craft workers, such as carpenters and mechanics, suffer the most workplace eye injuries, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS estimates that 40% of these accidents could have been prevented by using proper safety goggles.
Similarly, home-based activities that involve tools and equipment can cause a significant amount of eye trauma. For example, splinters from power tools or flash issues from welding can easily damage the eye. The same can be said of chemicals and other substances that can damage the eye while cleaning or repairing the house.
When shopping for safety eyewear, make sure to purchase lenses that have a plus mark and are impact resistant. Having these marks means that the lenses have been tested for high-impact resistance in an ANSI-approved lab and are suitable for certain applications.
Polycarbonate safety glasses are the best choice for impact resistance and can be up to 10 times stronger than regular glass. Additionally, tinted or mirrored lenses can help block out harmful UV light and reduce the risk of eye cancer.
Safety glasses can also be worn for recreational activities such as playing sports and enjoying fireworks. They are especially important around the Fourth of July because half of all fireworks-related injuries occur on the holiday, and a third of them involve eye injury.
They Prevent UV Damage
Eyes are one of the most fragile and vulnerable organs in your body. That’s why it’s important to protect them proactively. Safety glasses are a simple and inexpensive way to help prevent a number of serious eye problems that can occur when you don’t take care of your eyes.
Sunlight rays, or ultraviolet (UV) radiation, are a major cause of eye damage. This type of light is a form of electromagnetic radiation that affects your vision, skin, and immune system.
It’s essential to wear sunglasses whenever you’re outside in direct sunlight. The UV rays from the sun are known to cause cataracts, macular degeneration, and other serious conditions in your eyes.
Whether you’re working outdoors in the garden, on the farm or at your local beach, it’s important to keep your eyes protected from the sun. That’s why you should always choose sunglasses that offer UV protection.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, glasses with UV coatings can protect your eyes from both harmful UVA and UVB rays. However, the type of lens material you’re wearing matters.
Glasses that are made of polycarbonate and other high-index plastics are typically more resistant to UV rays than traditional glasses. They also tend to be lighter and less prone to fogging.
Some glasses also have photochromic lenses, which darken when they come into contact with the sun’s rays. These are great for outdoor activities and can even reduce glare, which can be dangerous to employees who work near water, metal or other reflective surfaces.
Another option is blue light-filtering lenses, which block the most common wavelengths of harmful blue light emitted by LED screens. These can help you stay safe from UV rays and also improve your sleep patterns at night.
The best way to ensure you’re getting the most UV protection from your glasses is to purchase ones that are certified by ANSI, a private organization that sets standards for safety equipment and other products. Look for the ANSI symbol on the packaging or frame of your glasses to ensure they’re up to industry standards.
They Prevent Glaucoma
Safety glasses protect your eyes from the effects of glaucoma and other eye conditions. They also help prevent injury, reduce your risk of vision loss and improve your productivity at work.
Glaucoma is a serious eye disease that can lead to vision loss and blindness. The best way to reduce your risk of glaucoma is to get regular eye exams with an optometrist. This helps to detect the early symptoms of glaucoma and allows your doctor to treat it.
Your doctor can also prescribe glaucoma medications and other treatments to slow the progression of your symptoms. In addition, specialized glaucoma-friendly eyewear can relieve light sensitivity and make you feel more comfortable.
If you have glaucoma, it is important to wear sunglasses when outdoors and in bright environments. They can help to minimize glare and ease the symptoms of light sensitivity, especially at night when you are driving or using a computer display.
You may want to consider a pair of graduated lenses or photochromic lenses. These can darken in bright sunlight and lighten when indoors to help you see more clearly in different lighting.
These lenses can also reduce glare from the headlights of cars, trucks and other vehicles at night. This is an especially helpful feature for glaucoma patients who have trouble with headlight glare.
In addition, glaucoma patients can benefit from safety glasses that block out harmful blue light from digital devices. These glasses can be worn in front of your computer and TV to prevent eye damage and vision loss due to exposure to the damaging blue light.
They can also be used in other environments where you are exposed to hazardous chemicals, dust or debris. For instance, safety glasses with side shields can help to protect your eyes from flying particles when mowing the lawn or working on power tools.
A study showed that wearing protective glasses can help to reduce spikes in your intraocular pressure (IOP) while sleeping. This was a major concern because glaucoma is often associated with high IOP levels. This research suggests that the use of protective glasses while sleeping could be a new treatment option for patients with glaucoma.
They Prevent Eye Damage
If you’ve ever worn safety glasses to work, you know that they help prevent eye injuries. They do so by protecting your eyes from impact, splashes and chemical or radiation exposure that can cause serious damage to the photosensitive part of your eyes.
There are many different types of safety glasses and goggles available, so it’s important to find the right pair for your needs. Some models have side shields to protect your eyes from flying objects or larger items, and others are designed with foam that prevents lenses from fogging.
A pair of safety glasses can also help reduce dry eyes and other symptoms associated with irritated eyes. They can also protect your eyes from the glare of bright lights and help you see clearly in low light conditions, which is especially important for people who are near-sighted or have presbyopia.
Another way that safety glasses can protect your eyes is by preventing scratches. If your safety glasses have a lens that’s been scratched, it can cause blurry vision and eye fatigue. This is particularly a problem for people who wear their safety glasses to work in a busy office where they’re exposed to a lot of bright lighting and computer screens.
It is also important to choose a frame that fits your face and holds the safety glasses securely in place. This will help prevent pressure points that can lead to headaches.
The lenses on your safety glasses should be made from impact-resistant material, such as polycarbonate. This is important because it can help to prevent shattering if you accidentally hit your face with something while wearing them.
Safety glasses can also be tinted to prevent glare or a darkened workplace from hurting your eyes. Tints that are the right shade for your work environment can help to reduce the intensity at which you need to focus and refocus, so your eyes don’t become tired and strained.
While safety glasses can be costly, they are a worthwhile investment that can save you money in the long run. They can reduce the severity of eye injuries and help you avoid expensive medical bills, lost productivity and even legal costs.
