Prescription Safety Glasses Buying Guide & How To Choose
Maybe you know you need to get your eyes checked, but you're reluctant because you need to wear safety glasses at work and you don't want to have to wear those giant goggles over your new glasses.
In fact, if you were to find yourself in a bind without your regular glasses, your prescription safety glasses could end up coming in very handy. The following tips should therefore serve as a quick reference guide whenever you wish to buy your prescription safety glasses.
Why should I get prescription safety eyewear at all?
The loss or damage of eyesight is one of the worst kinds of industrial accidents there is. It is also one of the most preventable. Over 90% of eye injuries could be prevented with proper eye protection. For those people who have some vision problems and need to wear corrective lenses, not everyone wants to wear contacts. Obviously they still need to be able to see clearly, so in the past the only option was to wear big goggles over the top of prescription glasses. Now you can get your safety glasses with your prescription built right into them.
Will I have to wear big, bulky, nerdy looking glasses?
No, you will not. Prescription safetyglasses these days look nothing like what you may be imagining. In fact, between the lighter, stronger, impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses and the fashionable frame options available, many hardly look like safety glasses at all. They will still be a bit bigger than your typical eyeglass though, but that is because you want to get the full wrap-around protection.
What do safety glasses protect against?
As mentioned above, the polycarbonate lenses that come in the better quality glasses (you shouldn't go with anything less than this) are impact resistant. This means that even if something were to hit them hard at high speed, they will not shatter into your eye. Safety glasses are also important to wear whenever you work around any kind of caustic chemicals, flying particles or power tools. They even help protect your eyes against damaging UV rays from the sun.
How to choose your prescription safety glasses?
- 1. Ensure It Has A Side Shield:
Shield shields ensure the eye is not affected by flying particles that may try to enter the eye through the sides of the glasses. Without the shields, your glasses will not provide the required protection of a safety glass.
- 2. Ensure It Has Adjustable Nasal Fitting:
Remember that your eye protective glasses need to comfortably fit and sit on your nasal bridge/temple to adequately provide the required protection. Therefore check and ensure the fittings are not rigid but adjustable to allow you to achieve a best fit while using it.
- 3. Ensure It Has Good Scratch Resistance:
You do not want your glasses to be easily scratched and dented by every material that touches it. Therefore take a few moments and check the literature to ensure it has a good wear resistance before you commit yourself to buy it.
- 4. Ensure It Has Anti - Fog Capabilities:
When out in the cold, or in the rain, or while working out in the field, you are wont to have a blurred vision if your protective glasses do not offer an anti-fog property. Check this out to serve yourself some troubles down the line.
- 5. Ensure It Is Non-Conductive:
This may almost be assumed to be well known, but I think it is worthwhile bearing in mind that irrespective of how fanciful the prescription safety glasses may look, the frames really have to be a non-conductive material to provide the needed electrical protection while working.
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People who need corrective glasses can also make use of prescription safety glasses during outdoor activities. Nowadays, lenses are included in these protective devices to both protect the eyes of those with poor vision as well as help them see clearly. These prescription safety glasses often include UV protection to safeguard the eyes from the damaging effect of the sun. Moreover, they can be used as an alternative to regular street glasses.
In general, they are a good investment which can suit what people need. One can purchase protective glasses online or at most local opticians. They can be somewhat expensive. A pair is usually priced between $40-$150. But, they are worth it, especially to anyone with an occupation which requires eye protection. For some who are really tight on the budget, there are also cheap prescription safety glasses online.
