Put. On. Your. Safety Glasses.

Blog vol 7.4. Put. On. Your. Safety Glasses.

The first spectacles were made to hold lenses for reading.  Monks and scribes needed them as their eyes aged. Over time, with the shift from agrarian to urban lifestyles, as well as changes in technologies, glasses have taken on many roles: protection from harmful UV rays such as sunglasses or snow blindness shields for far north dwellers, shielding from caustic chemicals in industry, deflecting flying metal in machining, and protection from infection. 

The importance of safety glasses AND actually wearing them. 

This past week I had a patient that came in with a sore, red eye. This person had been working in their yard breaking up concrete. You guessed it, no safeties. Embedded in the cornea of the red eye was a piece of metal less than 0.5 mm in size, very small but big enough to cause much discomfort and eventual problems.  With a local anesthetic drop, it was easily removed with a magnetic spud. This person was lucky. 

If you are working around any whirring equipment: weed wackers, metal grinders, saws, or whatever else that spins fast and kicks up bits, put on a pair of safety goggles.  Grinding, hammering, sawing also send up bits.  For protection from dust, goggles will be more effective, also for chemical splashes. Face shields are used to protect from high heat, electric arcs, radiation, or chemical splashes to face (not just eyes). Also, as we all learned in 2020, safety eye wear can also protect from infection keeping body fluids out of the eye, especially for health care workers.

Now, obviously the standards for each of these applications is going to be different. Research your specific application (see here).

For regular around-the-house stuff, regular safety glasses will work just fine. Wear only CSA approved prescription or non-prescription glasses.  CSA certified eyewear is impact and heat resistant, has side coverings, and has visible certification markings. Make sure your safeties fit properly and actually cover your whole eye area while allowing you to see in all directions. They should be close to the face and extend back over the ear.  It is not complicated: cover up, protect. 

I have a pair of safeties at home that I use for working around and about, even when burning brush. This   keeps the heat from damaging my regular glasses, as the lens coatings on regular glasses do not like heat. I also do some wood turning with a lathe and wear a full-face safety mask, protecting my whole face.

DO NOT wear contact lenses at a construction or potentially hazardous site.  This is unsafe because of dirty hands, and the possibility of chemical contamination or dirt getting into your eyes, all not good.

Finally, keep your safety eyewear clean following manufacturer’s instructions. Handle carefully to avoid scratches, keep your eyewear in a case, and do not step on it (people do!). Damaged eye wear should be replaced as it can no longer be counted on to resist impact.   

You have only one pair of eyes, protect them. If you do get something in them, an object or chemicals, wash profusely with eye rinse and get to emergency services as soon as possible. 

So many people have the safeties, they just don’t put them on, at least those are the people I see.  Please take a moment, protect your eyes.

the good doctor