Eye protection question

[vontar]

I wear Eye Glasses and for years for most things I have consider them good enough for eye protection for most thing. Certain things like cutting wood with a ton of saw dust I wear heavier eye protection.

However now that I am getting into more and more shooting I am re-evaluating if my eye glasses are enough.

I am wondering, would most people consider normal Eye Glasses sufficient eye protection?

If not, any recommendations on some eye protection that I could wear over my glass' and not look totally stupid?

Before anyone ask, yes I do use ear plugs for shooting. I worked in a factory for nearly 3 years where the sound was about a steady 100 to 120 db and I still have my hearing at 35.

[Mike]

You could get some decent side shields if they already fit close to your face. if not I'd look into a good pair of prescription glasses. Wiley-x makes several styles that would fit the bill. Of course there are many other industrial suppliers of prescription safety wear too.

[vontar]

My eye are good enough that I can go with out my glasses but I have wore them so long I like having them.

I can probably just get some shooting glasses for use when I am at the range

In case you are wondering. I do pass my drivers license test with out my glasses.

[Fallguy]

I too most of the time have just relied on my eyeglasses, but I agree some side shields would be good.

You may want to check on prescription safety glasses. Where I work I can get them with detachable side shields.

Also Optics Planet has some Results for prescription safety glasses - Sorted by Best Match, on Page 1 (20 Items) - OpticsPlanet

[Guest Lester Weevils]

I like the "Ray Charles" style polycarbonate wraparounds that are big enough to fit over glasses and are not expensive. Have em in clear, yellow, and smoke gray. Pretty rugged.

Polycarbonate wraparounds + polycarbonate prescription glasses ought to be double protection.

I'm blind in one eye, so a loss of the other eye would be a big deal. The odds of accident are small, but the consequences are huge.

I keep meaning to get some heavy duty goggles just for max protection. Belt and suspenders. Here are two models that would be ultra-nerdy looking, but would fit over glasses and perhaps be near 'max protection' short of a thick ballistic face shield--

ESS Goggles - Protective Goggles - Ballistic Goggles - Eye Protection

BulletProofME.com Body Armor - Faceshields, Tactical Goggles, Sunglasses and Accessories

Paulson Fragmentation Goggles

Edited July 7, 2010 by Lester Weevils

[tnhawk]

I wear contact lens with regular safety glasses

[peejman]

Do you know what the lenses in your glasses are made of? Given that you say you can pass a DL eye exam w/o your glasses tells me your correction is quite small. That being the case, your glasses are not likely to have the fancy polycarbonate lenses that safety glasses have.

If you like wearing glasses, prescription safety glasses is the way to go. Your place of business might subsidize the cost of prescription safety glasses, assuming you're required to wear safety glasses at work. You may also be able to get a few pairs of disposable contact lenses to use for shooting, then regular shooting glasses will suffice. I wear contacts (~20/400 w/o) and regular shooting glasses.

Edited July 7, 2010 by peejman
quoted wrong post.

[Fallguy]

Do you know what the lenses in your glasses are made of? Given that you say you can pass a DL eye exam w/o your glasses tells me your correction is quite small. That being the case, your glasses are not likely to have the fancy polycarbonate lenses that safety glasses have.

If you like wearing glasses, prescription safety glasses is the way to go. Your place of business might subsidize the cost of prescription safety glasses, assuming you're required to wear safety glasses at work. You may also be able to get a few pairs of disposable contact lenses to use for shooting, then regular shooting glasses will suffice. I wear contacts (~20/400 w/o) and regular shooting glasses.

I'm not the one that can pass the DL exam without my glasses.....

[mikegideon]

OhShoot's new rig!

[Guest Lester Weevils]

Well, I wasn't planning to buy the helmet too... But it would certainly have avoided Oh Shoot's accident.

This would be perhaps ultimate in that regard--

Edited July 7, 2010 by Lester Weevils

[vontar]

My work place is not a place that would have any safety requirement that I could uset o get safety glasses. I work in low level IT support. In short an Office Job.

I get Glass in my Lens because I prefer the transition, I forget the type I have, but the kind that works better on Glass then the platic lenses.

[Jasongar8]

I only thing I would worry about with the glass lens is that they could shatter and get glass in your eyes. I wear Costa Del Mar sunglasses most of the time which have glass lens, but when I go shooting I wear my Oakleys because they have the poly lens that are shatter proof. If I was you I would get something that dosent have a glass lens for shooting or other high impact activities.

[peejman]

With glass lenses, I definitely would NOT use them shooting (or mowing the lawn, or anywhere else they might get whacked).

[vontar]

Yup, I am defiantly going out to pick up some for shooting and other activities now.

I started wearing glasses when I was about 3, and in all these years I have never broke a single lense but it would only take once to end badly.

[vontar]

Ok, may not have been the best choice but I picked up some light weight eye protection.

nothing spiecal. They are Polycarbonate lenses for indoor/outdoor. Scatch and impatch resistant.

I have no idea what this means but says meets ansi z87.1-2003.

They do wrap around to protect from the sides as well. I can see fine though them.

[Guest tnxdshooter]

I have polycarbonate lenses in my everyday glasses. So yes I consider mine to be safety glasses. I wear no other eye protection and when I go to ranges they dont ask me to put anymore on.

[gsbell]

There are two methods to get shooting glasses with a prescription. lenses custom ground or a carrier behind the lense that holds a small corrective lense. I use Rudy Project with a carrier this way as my prescription changes I don't have to scrap the whole thing. I also get it done custom to keep my dominate eye in sharp focus on the front sight and the other eye corrected for distance. This is called mono-vision.

[peejman]

ANSI is the American National Standards Institute. Z87.1 is their standard for eye/face protective equipment. -2003 is the release year (the latest of this standard is 2010). Look for a "Z87-2" marking on the lens or frame, this states the glasses meet the "high impact" requirements, which is what you'd want for shooting glasses.

http://www.aosafetysrx.com/aosafetysrx.com/pdf/Ansi%20Summary%202003%20Final%207-03.pdf

[Guest scott6261]

When im at the range, I tend to shoot with my glasses on (not glass) but i do practice without them sometimes, its a little harder to sight in without them so i wanted to get used to it b/c i don't have my glasses on all the time at home.

[vontar]

When im at the range, I tend to shoot with my glasses on (not glass) but i do practice without them sometimes, its a little harder to sight in without them so i wanted to get used to it b/c i don't have my glasses on all the time at home.

I know where you are coming from with that line of thinking, assuming you are thinking home defense.

In a home defense one is not going to grab safety gear, you are going to get your weapon and do what needs to be done.

While using Safety gear at the range is going to protect you while you are practicing over the course of your life 1000's of rounds of ammo.

[Guest clownsdd]

My eyeglasses are safety glasses, I put side shields on when shooting or lawn clipping. Cost is just a little more than regular glasses, but it's worth it. Talk to your eye dr about it.

[DarrellG]

I wear glasses all the time but use ESS ESS Goggles - Protective Goggles - Ballistic Goggles - Eye Protection - Products CDI's with Rx lenses when I shoot. You eye's and feet are hard to replace so I never scrimp on eye-wear or footwear.