Safety Glasses

Whether you are on the job, helping the children with science fair projects or in the backyard pruning over-grown tree limbs, wearing safety glasses can mean finishing the work or becoming a statistic. Safety glasses are required on many job sites where flying projectiles are common, like molding factories and construction site, or there is an ever-present risk of explosive reactions, such as in the chemistry lab or commercial painting jobs. Yet, safety glasses are too often not found in the home, where similar dangers lurk.

Contrary to popular belief in the home as a place of refuge from danger, there are many home-based activities that indicate the use of safety glasses. When using a lawn mower or weed eater, most people will wear pants to protect their legs from projectiles, yet few think of protecting their eyes. Cooking with oil is similarly dangerous, but safety goggles are even less common in kitchens than they are in the yard. These dangers are theoretical for most people, yet there is compelling evidence that eye protection should be embraced in the home.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, over 2.5 million eye injuries occur every year with 50,000 people suffering permanent damage to the vision. Almost half of the 2.5 million injuries occur in the home, and another 15% are the result of playing sports without appropriate eye protection. Injuries are not so much a function of clumsiness or age as they are of chance. About half occur in those between 18-45, and nearly two-thirds of eye trauma occurs in males.

Wearing safety glasses should be a matter of habit for a variety of activities. Fortunately there are many styles and a wide price range, so there is no reason to not outfit you and your family with appropriate eye protection!