Safety glasses have been used for over a century. This style of eyeglasses protects eyes and in some cases the face and head. Protective goggles or glasses are meant to be worn at work in laboratories, manufacturing and construction. Safety glasses are advisable for use at home doing jobs that are considered hazardous, such as mowing the lawn or woodworking, and while participating in sporting events. Safety glasses can be prescription or non-prescription (also called plano) and are available in a variety of styles and materials.
History of Safety Glasses
According to Eye Topics, glasses have been historically linked to Roman times when a statesman used a globe filled with water as a magnifying glass to help with reading. Safety glasses are more modern and are attributed to a patent given to a Mr. P. Johnson in the United States in 1880 for "eye protectors," a form of safety goggles he invented.
Safety Glasses Regulation
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulates safety glasses for businesses and their employees. The OSHA website is a good source of information for specific types of safety lenses and what is required to be worn in certain industries. OSHA requires that employees be guaranteed proper eye protection if exposed to potential harm from flying particles, hot metal, chemicals, or radiation. Eye protection must be provided whether or not the employee requires glasses for better vision.
Types of Safety Glasses
Safety glasses are available as nonprescription (plano) lenses and prescription lenses for people who require a corrective lens. To be considered OSHA-approved safety glasses, both the lens and frame must be made to OSHA standards and from an approved list of frames.
Safety lenses are available as glass, plastic and polycarbonate and must be at least three millimeters in the center and hold up to shatter-resistant testing. Prescription lenses are available in many styles including single vision, bifocals for distance and reading vision, invisible bifocals, tinted lenses and photochromic lenses, which change from lightly tinted indoors to darker outdoors.
Safety Glasses at Home
According to Eyesmart, the American Society of Ocular Trauma recommends that everyone keep at least one pair of ANSI (American National Standard Institute) safety glasses in the home for use during any activity that might present hazardous conditions for eye safety. All ANSI-approved safety frames are stamped with "ANSI" or "ANSI Z87."
Preventing Eye Injuries
Whether or not there is a need for vision correction, wearing ANSI-standard safety frames and lenses greatly reduces the chance of injuring an eye. If a person only has good vision in one eye, they should always wear safety glasses to prevent vision loss or damage to that eye. According to the University of Michigan's Kellogg Eye Center, more than 90,000 eye injuries could be prevented each year if safety glasses were worn more frequently during sports, recreational and work activities.
Elizabeth Richards - Elizabeth Richards has published almost 200 articles for Suite101 since 2007 as a Contributing and Feature Writer.
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