Maybe you know you need to get your eyes checked, but you’re reluctant because you need to wear safety glasses at work and you don’t want to have to wear those giant goggles over your new glasses. The fact is, you can get prescription safety glasses that look pretty good these days. In fact, if you were to find yourself in a bind without your regular glasses, your prescription safety glasses could end up coming in very handy. This article will answer some of the questions you might have regarding this kind of eye protection.
Why should I get prescription safety eyewear at all?
The loss or damage of eyesight is one of the worst kinds of industrial accidents there is. It is also one of the most preventable. Over 90% of eye injuries could be prevented with proper eye protection. For those people who have some vision problems and need to wear corrective lenses, not everyone wants to wear contacts. Obviously they still need to be able to see clearly, so in the past the only option was to wear big goggles over the top of prescription glasses. Now you can get your safety glasses with your prescription built right into them.
Will I have to wear big, bulky, nerdy looking glasses?
No, you will not. Prescription safetyglasses these days look nothing like what you may be imagining. In fact, between the lighter, stronger, impact-resistant polycarbonate lenses and the fashionable frame options available, many hardly look like safety glasses at all. They will still be a bit bigger than your typical eyeglass though, but that is because you want to get the full wrap-around protection.
What do safety glasses protect against?
As mentioned above, the polycarbonate lenses that come in the better quality glasses (you shouldn’t go with anything less than this) are impact resistant. This means that even if something were to hit them hard at high speed, they will not shatter into your eye. Safety glasses are also important to wear whenever you work around any kind of caustic chemicals, flying particles or power tools. They even help protect your eyes against damaging UV rays from the sun.
Do I have to pay for my own prescription safety glasses if I need to wear them at work?
That is a question you would definitely want to bring up with your employer. Many employers who require the use of eye protection will pick up the cost. If they do not, you should keep hold of your receipt as more than likely you can use that expense as a tax write off. Of course, don’t take my word for it; consult with your accountant for the specifics.
You should now be able to see that there are many significant benefits to good eye protection, and really very few negatives. First and foremost, you will be protecting your eyes and eyesight, which is priceless. That alone is reason enough, but you also have these additional benefits; You won’t have to look goofy or nerdy while you do it. And the expense of it might be picked up by your employer, or at the very least be a tax write-off for yourself. What else do you need to know? The only other thing would be where to go to get your own pair of prescription safety glasses