Why Wear Safety Eye Wear?

Accidents are one of the leading causes of blindness in healthy people. In addition to champagne corks turned missile projectiles and badly caught softballs, eye injury occurs most often from activity around the home. Even the most harmless material can turn lethal when shot out of a power tool or splintered off a hammer stroke. While regular glasses offer some protection, the only sure way to protect your sight is to don a pair of safety glasses any time you're working around the yard with any tool--such as shredders, blowers, chain saws, and even lawn mowers-- that could cause something to fly up unexpectedly.

Choosing Safety Eye Wear

The most common style of safety glasses, or eye protectors, consists of clear plastic over-sized glasses with side and top panels. Some have vent holes to keep them from fogging up, while others are made of a nonfogging plastic. They are designed to fit either directly over the eye or over eyeglasses, and with the side and top panels, offer maximum protection from flying debris and even fine mists and sprays. Some styles have rubber or elastic headbands to hold them in place.

Always try on safety eye wear for fit before you buy. If you wear glasses, make sure the safety eye wear fits over the glasses. Wear them for a few minutes to make sure they don't fog up. If they're not comfortable, or if you can't see well through them, you might resist wearing them when you should. Don't sacrifice quality for price. Eye wear that protects from dust and dirt as well as impact should be marked as such. Also look for labels indicating government approval, such as from OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) or ANSI (American National Standards Institute).

When To Use Safety Eye Wear

Always be conservative about wearing safety glasses. If it might be a good idea, use them! They protect eyes from dust and other flying particles and even when spraying pesticides or fertilizers. Always wear them when operating power tools, such as chipper/shredders, weed cutters, and the like, and when using hand tools that can send up debris, such as axes and hatchets.

Caring For Your Safety Eye Wear
Keep your safety eye wear clean for maximum visibility and safety. Wipe safety glasses often but gently with a soft clean cloth, if you're using them on a job that kicks up a lot of debris. Store them in their own case if possible, or fold the ear pieces under and store them frame side up to prevent scratching the plastic lenses.