What is the selection criteria for Safety Prescription Glasses?

The eyes are the most sensitive organ of the human body. Nearly 1 million people in America suffer eye injuries every year, with 75% being at industrial workplaces. In most cases, eye injuries can be completely avoided or the severity can be reduced by just donning the right safety prescription glasses. Wearing the right safety prescription glasses becomes even more necessary when working under hazardous conditions. But how do you know which glasses are the right ones for you? In this article, you will find the answers for the selection of the right safety prescription glasses.

Check out our article on how to choose eye protection PPE.

Basic Requirements for Safety Prescription Glasses

Before we start listing out the factors you should consider before buying the glasses, one must ensure that a few requirements are checked. Please understand that eye protection PPE is vital for safety, so without fulfilling these requirements, don’t consider buying them.

Certification of ANSI Z87.1 

ANSI stands for American National Standards Institute. Their Z87.1 standard approves the use of glasses & symbolizes that the glasses follow adequate safety standards and provide basic protection against splashes, scratches, impact, etc. This certification is mandatory compliance in industries as prescribed by OSHA. So, even if you are buying glasses for DIY activity, always prefer ANSI Z87.1 certified glasses.

Check out more details about ANSI Z87.1. 

FAQ - Where do you find ANSI Z87.1 mark?

Usually, most safety glasses have the ANSI Z87.1 mark stamped on their frames. The location is usually the inner side of the frames.

Understand the Operations

Why do you need eye protection PPE? How do you know that you need one? These two questions are answered by knowing your daily routine. Once you introspect on the daily activities, you will understand where your eyes could be exposed. Now, you can move to the next analysis area.

Identification of the Severity of Risks & Hazards

Identifying the major risks & hazards is necessary before choosing the correct eye PPE. The most common ones that cause harm to the eyes are impact, chemical splashes, flying particles, dust, and radiation. Another necessary step is to understand the severity of these risks & hazards. It will help you to choose the right glasses.

Compare the different options

It would be the final step, but a necessary one. After identifying the requirements, there will be a plethora of safety glasses in front of you. Which one do you choose? You can always ask for a second opinion from people or blogs like ours. Always ensure that you set a hierarchy of the factors before buying safety prescription glasses. For example, always set cost as the final and the least important factor.

How to weigh different factors before buying the glasses?

It is possible by understanding the daily routine, hazards, risks, and severity. If you are looking for safety glasses for DIY activities, then basic safety glasses with ANSI Z87.1 standard can be considered. Here, comfort would be a necessary factor and weigh above the others. If you want to buy safety glasses to participate in sports, then factors like impact resistance and anti-glare weigh above the other factors.

Curious individuals can check out our article on medical eye protection PPE.

How to Choose the Right Safety Prescription Glasses?

Safety glasses consist of frames and lenses. Let’s walk through how to choose them.

Frames

Look for two key factors in the frames. One is comfort, and the other is durability. If you’re one of those who want to look good, then style is another factor you may consider. Style includes parameters like frame design & frame color.

Lens

Preferentially, prescription lenses should be used. These lenses correct vision and enhance eyesight when glasses are worn. Often, buyers underestimate the value of lens coatings which make eyewear durable and versatile. These coatings can be chosen for special purposes. For example, anti-fog coatings are preferred when humidity is a prime concern. Tints are another factor that buyers must consider while selecting the lens. For example, photochromic lenses can be preferred for people who are exposed to intense light and often keep moving indoors & outdoors. To identify these lenses, check for a ‘v’ mark on the lens. They are clear lenses when indoors and darken as you are exposed to the sunlight. Many lenses allow replacing tints so that you can keep changing them according to your requirement.

Curious ones can check out the article on photochromic lenses.

Choosing the appropriate lens is necessary for hassle-free working. It is possible only after assessing working conditions & hazards.

Which material is the lens & frame made up of?

Most lens materials are made up of trivex or polycarbonate. These materials have common attributes like lightweight, impact resistance, and durability. The key difference between these two materials is that polycarbonate is more durable & lighter. Other materials used for manufacturing lens is acetate & glass.

Frames are mostly made up of plastics due to their lightweight. Frames can also be manufactured from metal. They have the best impact resistance and support lens seamlessly.

Which lens should you avoid?

Choosing a few lenses may cause hindrances in a few tasks or may not suit a few work profiles. For example, polarized lenses are not donned if you work on laptops with LCD screens. Polarized lenses indeed are the best when you want to protect from glares due to snow or water. Non-digital lenses should be avoided as they cause peripheral distortion. For special purposes, like welding, there is a special lens available that must be considered. 

Did you know?

Safety glasses always have a marking for the standards and applications. These markings are printed on the lens or frame or sometimes both. For example, an anti-scratch coating is denoted by K (on the lens). 

Conclusion

Selection of the right safety prescription glasses is necessary as they keep the eyes safe without causing any hindrance to your work. Keeping eyes away from injury is the priority hence choosing these glasses should be considered a diligent task. If you follow the factors & parameters mentioned in the blog, you will surely select the perfect prescription glasses which will keep you safe & secure.