Favorite Goggles/Safety Glasses/Overglasses?

[leehljp]

Last week I got some fine dust in my right eye and it turned red for several day and my GP sent me to an optometrist immediately. I got it resolved for now, but this has happened three times in the last year in the right eye. I go back this week for another checkup.

That made me start looking for over-glasses goggles. I bought this pair (link below) but I always like to have two pair of something like this.
The ones in the link are comfortable comfortable but they push my trifocals upward and I have to lower my head to look through the main upper part of the lens for distance. But They ARE comfortable. I have a couple of pair of the $5.00 HF type or other cheap type that I would rather not wear. I am safety minded, but when it becomes a pain to use, I will not use it, and search for something else.
https://www.amazon.com/SAFEYEAR-Gogg...1637565&sr=8-1

• What goggles do you use?
• Did you research them before buying?
• Why did you choose them?
• Do they do what you expected?
• Are they comfortable?

[LCHIEN]

I have prescription safety glasses. A habit from when I worked in industry and had to have safety glasses for use in the field locations of customers and in our manufacturing facility.

I go to a store that has access to safety frames that meet ANSI safety glass specifications and have removable side shields. I get wire rims that look acceptable as formal wear and don't look like a machinist nerd. And the lenses also meet ANSI safety glass specifications for high impact. I end up with anti-glare, Transitions (auto darkening) and high index graduated lenses.

That said I am not always pulling out my side shields and using them... I guess I should be more conscientious for the sake of flying particles, not so much as flying debris direct impact. The side shields tend to be uncomfortable a bit as the edges are hard plastic and not soft and conforming.
So I also have lab safety goggles with elastic strap meant to be worn over regular glasses. They have a soft edge that conforms to the face better.

My other issue is that I seem to be having issues with the reading/closeup part being too low for comfortable use in the shop. My ophthalmologist says I need office progressives... that have the reading close up higher up and medium distance in the center and the heck with distance. Most days in Pandemic times I'm at home and looking no farther than the TV and the computer screen... I think he's right but I haven't had a new pair of glasses lately.

If its fine dust and not large particles, maybe you need better dust collection for fines... usually the solution for fines is high air volume as opposed to chips which need air velocity. Of course the drawback is for fines and coarse, you need hi Velocity, High CFMs, both.

[twistsol]

I have prescription safety glasses with side shields as well. I keep one set of the side shields on a shelf at the entrance to the shop along with my apron and hearing protections. I have another set that I keep in my backpack in case I need to go onto a client's manufacturing floor or other area where they may be needed. Like Loring, I just get safety glasses as my regular glasses.

The only time they didn't work for me was when I was sound insulating the ceiling in the basement. I bought a pair of prescription safety goggles that had a better seal --- they were about $100 total. They worked well for keeping the rock wool out of my eyes but I found them uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time because they had to be too tight to make a good seal.

https://safetygearpro.com/product/bolle-ultim8/

[leehljp]

Chris, " because they had to be too tight to make a good seal." - that is one of the issues that I have with over-glasses googles in general.

Loring, I didn't give the specifics to my issue but you did touch on it. I don't rake the leaves in my yard, but rather mulch them real fine by going over them with my mulching mower. (Makes for great green grass in Aug-Sept dry period). Two weeks ago, I was mulching and it was somewhat windy, a small gust blew some of the finer small leaf dust in from slightly behind - they swirled into my eyes. Didn't hurt my left eye, but did my right eye. I stopped, went into the house and added some Visine (sp?) and didn't see any trash in my eyes but I could feel it. The next day my right eye was somewhat red. Then Monday evening it was quite red and I put some drops in from my last doctors visit last fall. Tuesday, still red, and more drops; Wed - General Practitioner and a prescription for a salve, plus ophthalmologist appointment for Thursday. Ophthalmologist strongly suggested some good sealing over-glasses goggles or sealing face mask.

An open sided face shield would not have prevented this as the dust came in from slightly to the side and mostly from behind - and I figure my glasses caused them to swirl directly into my eyes.

Prescription safety glasses - If I can get them in progressives or trifocals, or if not at least bi-focals.

Thanks for the input

[twistsol]

Hank,

I think the problem is our wide flat heads . I should have known better than to order them online. My current safety glasses are bifocals and I assume they could do trifocals as well. Once I can go back to they eye doctor. I'll probably need either trifocals or progressives. I can see to read or drive with my current prescription, but the dashboard is not within a visible range without putting my face on the steering wheel.

[leehljp]

Chris, I was in Hong Kong for a conference in '89, and during some free time I was window shopping with a close missionary friend when he suddenly pulled me into a vision center. An English speaking lady asked if she could help. He said YES", "HE" (pointing to me) needs some tri-focals. I am tired of going into stores with him - he goes up close or backs up away from things on an aisle, like a yo-yo. Can you do "one day" glasses in TRI-FOCALS? She said Yes. In 30 minutes, I was tested and picked out my first set of Tri-Focals. That evening, I picked them up and have hardly looked back.

Twice I have had clinics (in the USA) try and persuade me to use progressives. The first time in 1992 when on furlough. I tried them and discovered I could not play ping pong - no sharp side view and loss of precise depth perception. I had to keep my head precisely straight ahead looking at the ball for precise depth perception. They are terrible for those who use the full range of their glasses and don't like to be a swiveling head to see what is going on. Then in 2017, another doctor asked me to try them. I did for a week and really loved them for driving, but outside of that, I could not see sharply anywhere slightly peripheral to directly in front. I told the doctor that I loved them for driving but I would order two sets, one progressives for driving and one trifocals for all else. He strongly advised me against using both kinds. Use one or the other!

In late 2019, I decided that I have slowed down and that I could live with bifocals, and got a set of bifocals, the worst decision I could have made. I lived with them for about 18 months and went back to trifocals. Wow, what a difference.

Since I am comfortable with my glasses, I need some over glasses that will seal fairly well, (doesn't have to be perfect) to keep dust out, but they do need to be comfortable. I love my 3M respirators that seal my nose and mouth from fumes and super fine sanding dust. They are very comfortable. But for my eyes, close sealing that swirling air does not get into is fine.

[cwsmith]

I have prescription safety glasses with side shields, which I get as one of my retirement benefits; but honestly, I only get a new pair every five or six years. I just keep them in the shop along with my earmuffs and wouldn't think of turning any of them on without eye and ear protection. Circular saw's like my table, RAS, and CMS) don't scatter a lot of loose dust as I have the shop vac attached and have taken steps to restrict the flow as much as possible. That is especially true when I'm sanding, but because that is a more intensive process I do wear a disposable mask.
p
As I recall from my school days, a lathe is a real chip thrower, so if I had one (wish list), I'd probably being using a face shield too.

I've been wearing glasses since I was twelve, so wearing glasses isn't a matter of having to think about it, it's just natural. But spending so many years on the drawing board, I couldn't stand bifocal's. They just gave me headaches, as I had to constantly stress my neck backwards trying to see the drawing through the bottom of the lens. So, I have prescription glasses for close up as well as distance and keep a couple of pair for the drawing board and a couple of pair for driving and walking around. Today however, I do wear bifocals for normal use. After I purchased a digital SLR camera a few years ago, I realized the simultaneous need for 'distance' to look through the view finder and 'close-up' to view the LCD on the camera body. But everything else, I still keep separate glasses for reading/ computer work and a separate pair for driving and walking.

Working in a large industrial plant, 'safety glasses' with side-shields were a requirement. While they weren't necessary in the office, you couldn't go anywhere else without them. You get caught, you get fired, no matter who your are or what excuse you made up! There were NO warnings or second chances. So, a body does that for thirty-plus years, it's just natural to continue the practice whenever I'm working, even if out in the yard with the mower or hedge trimmers.

I think goggles are an excellent idea if you're doing something intensive that generates chips and dust. But I'd have to find them comfortable and non-fogging. I think for me, I'd find them inconvenient, because I'm always changing my glasses from close-up to distance. My main concern would be fogging, because the last thing anyone needs is not being able to see clearly. That is one of the problems I have during this pandemic. Depending on the temperature and the particular store's HVAC system, my glasses too often fog up because of my mask.

[Carlos]

I almost never use goggles, hate them. When I feel like I need more protection than my RX glasses, I grab a face shield. Such as grinding, turning things that aren't very small/light, and other situations where I want better protection. I buy very large lenses in my prescription glasses and they give good protection, but also make it VERY hard to deal with goggles. Even the "oversize" ones still catch on my glasses and are annoying. Also, it's AZ, it's usually warm or hot, and goggles really get annoying.

So anyway, long way of saying, consider a full face shield. I find it much better/easier.

[leehljp]

Carlos, I agree that heat brings down the desire to use them! I wear a face shield when turning to keep flying objects away from my face, but my eyes have been getting dust in them (outdoors) when cutting grass. A face shield would not protect that, and in some cases make it worse, as it would trap flying dust between the shield and face and make it more likely to get into the eyes. If this were a one time thing I would let it go, but this is the third time in less than a year that dust has caused problems in my right eye and two were outside, one inside (blowing dust off of a motor with the air hose. I should have known better.

[cwsmith]

Yes Lee, using an air hose is a major problem without eye protection. Imagine working in something like the machine shops of our plant, where we're milling steel, brass, and gray iron. One of the reasons that safety glasses with side shields were absolutely mandatory was because of air-hose driven iron dust and chips. Unlike using a shop vac, compressed air can generate some pretty high velocity chips that can ricochet off the machine and other things.

Many years ago I was taking pictures for a slide presentation and took this picture in our foundry. I can't remember exactly what that guy was doing, but he moved back as I was taking the shot. It was one of several I had set aside, but the engineer I was doing the project for, thought it quite funny and decided to use it.

During his presentation, he flashed it up on the screen as an example of what we do to someone who isn't wearing the necessary safety equipment properly. I think his comment was something like, "We dress him up in everything and then dangle him on a chain hoist for the rest of his shift!"

CWS

[leehljp]

You know, I grew up being trained that the best safety devices are our brains, but it only takes one slip to end it all. And once one gets near 70, slip-ups happen more often.

[danieljohn]

I am Daniel I live from united state and i need high quality safety glasses for my personal work. because my eyes are swallow's cause of chips of wooden piece.

[dbhost]

I tend to use just the cheap polycarbonate I think they are safety glasses from Home Depot. I really ought to use overglasses for my prescription glasses, but my vision isn't that bad where I need glasses except for doing fine work.

My biggest problem with wearing safety glasses is most of them I have tried to use over the years get fogged up QUICKLY when using a respirator unless the respirator down fires and and exhausts pretty much at chin level or lower...