Safety experts and eye doctors believe appropriate eye protection can lessen the severity or even prevent 90 percent of eye injuries. Common work-related eye injuries occur from chemicals or foreign objects, cuts or scrapes on the cornea, splashes from grease and oil, burns from steam, ultraviolet or infrared radiation exposure, and flying wood or metal chips.
According to NCOS, workers experience on the job eye injuries because they were wearing improper or no eye protection. A Bureau of Labor Statistics survey of workers suffering eye injuries showed nearly three out of five were not wearing eye protection at the time of the accident, indicating they believed protection was not required for the situation.
Occupations with a high risk for eye injuries include construction, manufacturing, mining, carpentry, auto repair, electrical work, plumbing, welding and maintenance.
The American Optometric Association noted those wearing contact lenses should be permitted to wear them in most eye-hazardous environments but must wear eye protection over contact lenses according to the requirements for all workers performing the same job.
Among the safety glasses options on the marketplace are Nemesis and Oakley.
Nemesis Safety Glasses
KleenGuard Nemesis Safety Glasses – manufactured by Kimberly-Clark Professional – have polycarbonate lenses that provide 99.9 percent UVA/ UVB/UVC protection to help prevent eye damage like cataracts, retinal damage, and other conditions causing temporary vision loss.
The safety eyewear is manufactured to comply with the ANSI / ISEA Z87.1+ standard for personal eye protection. FLEX-DRY technology is designed to channel sweat away from the eyes and help prevent slippage down the nose.
The wraparound frame has a base curve of 8 extending the range of peripheral protection as well as soft touch temples for comfort. The nose piece is designed for flexibility to channel sweat away from the eyes and help prevent slippage down the nose.
Each pair of KleenGuard Nemesis safety glasses come with a neck cord.
Oakley Safety Glasses
Oakley’s SI M Frame 2.0 PPE Industrial is part of the company’s industrial collection, designed to adhere to American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards for impact resistance and materials of workplace safety glasses. Lenses feature Oakley's HDO Optics with Polaric Ellipsoid technology and a permanent anti-fog coating on the back surface. The UV protection of Plutonite lens material filters out all of UVA/UVB and harmful blue light up to 400 nm wavelength.
The glasses are designed to meet or exceed high mass and high velocity impact requirements per ANSI Z87.1-2003/2010. They also meet or exceed ballistic fragmentation impact standards per MIL PRF-31013, Clause 3.5.1.1.
The lightweight glasses are designed for a secure fit even under wet conditions via a Hydrophilic Unobtainium nose pad. The clear lens features 89 percent visible light transmittance and the persimmon lens features 69 percent visible light transmittance – both considered suitable for use in low light to no light conditions.
The grey lens features 15 percent visible light transmittance, considered suitable for bright light. The glasses meet Military Combat Eye Protection System neutrality and chromaticity requirement and offer full compatibility with helmet-mounted night vision devices and MICH, ACH, CVD, PASGT, and Crye helmets.
The impact and chemical resistant O-Matter frame is constructed with thin stem technology to enable compatibility with over-ear hearing protection and communication systems. The glasses are designed for quick, tool-free lens change.
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