The Complete Guide to Protective Eyewear: Types, Uses, and Benefits
If you’re a tradie on the worksite, a DIY fanatic, a healthcare hero or spend hours in front of a screen, protective eyewear is essential. This guide from SafeStyle is here to tell you everything you need to know about protective eyewear.
Why is Protective Eyewear Important?
Protective eyewear is your best defence to keep your eyes safe against dirt, debris, harmful chemicals and other worksite hazards. Whether you're on a worksite or getting stuck into DIY at home, flying debris, harmful chemicals, or even stray power tools can damage your eyes.
In Australia, over 14,000 eye injuries are reported each year.
As the eyes are so sensitive, even the smallest splinter of wood or shard of metal in your eye can be disastrous.
You never know when an accident could happen, but wearing protective eyewear highly reduces the risk of eye injury.
That's why protective eyewear is mandatory on worksites.
While wearing safety gear can be annoying, your safeties could save you from a life-changing eye injury.
Types of Protective Eyewear
Safety Glasses
Safety glasses are the most commonly used protective eyewear. They're lightweight, strong and provide robust protection, which makes them perfect for everyday use in construction, mining, healthcare, DIY and everything else in between.
So what makes them protective?
They'll typically feature impact-resistant lenses, side shields and polycarbonate or TR90 frames.
Historically though, they've been cheap, ugly and uncomfortable.
But times are changing!
Safety glasses are now designed to be more user friendly. SafeStyle are leading the way in producing stylish, long-lasting and comfortable.
Safety Goggles
Safety goggles are a more heavy form of protective eyewear. They enclose around the eyes to provide a tight seal and block hazards from injuring your eyes.
They are more cumbersome, so aren't generally used on a daily basis, but are awesome for more heavy-duty, dirty or dangerous jobs.
Some safety goggles will be chemical-resistant, anti-fog, vented or non-vented.
Face Shields
Face shields are often used for additional eye protection in specialist industries to guard against sparks, splashes or intense heat.
Welders or mechanics will often wear face shields in tandem with safety glasses to stand up to the most intense environments.
Prescription Safety Glasses
If you wear prescription glasses, there's no need to double up with bulky goggles or glasses.
Prescription safety glasses let you see clearly and protect your eyes at the same time.
As safety glasses become better quality and more user-friendly, it makes sense to have a quality pair of prescription safeties for everyday use.
Sports Eyewear
Sports eyewear has become more specialist, engineered to help athletes perform at their peak.
While athletes want lightweight and stylish sports eyewear, safety is also a huge part of sports eyewear.
For example, eye protection is hugely important for runners, cyclists, golfers and racket sport players.
The SafeStyle Phantoms are at the forefront of blending sports performance and protective eyewear.
Blue Light Blocking Eyewear
Blue light blocking eyewear is a growing need in the digital age. As we interact with more screens on a daily basis, blue light is becoming one of the most common dangers that can harm our eyes.
Blocking blue light reduces eyestrain and other negative effects of prolonged screen use.
Uses of Protective Eyewear
Industrial & Construction
On industrial and construction worksites you'll face all sorts of risks to your eyes, from flying debris and chemicals to intense sunlight and UV rays.
In Australia, you're required to wear safety glasses that meet AS/NZS 1337.1+ standards. All SafeStyle pairs are certified for worksites across the country.
But depending on the intensity of your work and the environment, you may need more heavy-duty eye protection.
Typically you'll need safety glasses, goggles, or face shields depending on the job.
Medical & Healthcare
For Healthcare Professionals, protective eyewear guards against splashes of fluids, laser exposure, and even chemicals used in labs.
Eye protection is vital to keep healthcare workers safe while they serve on the frontlines every day.
Clear lenses are usually the best choice for healthcare workers to deliver crystal clear vision and maximum protection.
SafeStyle have also created the Lites. These unique healthcare safety glasses are made from an antimicrobial material, a world first, that kills bacteria on impact.
Sports
When you're playing sport, protective eyewear helps prevent injury from flying balls, racquets, or even impacts with other players.
Plus, if you're out in the sun for hours on end, UV protection is vital so the sun's rays don't damage your eyes.
SafeStyle Phantoms are designed to maximise performance and to protect your eyes while you're doing what you love.
Benefits of Protective Eyewear
Protective eyewear is proven to reduce eye injuries by up to 90%, making it one of the most effective safety measures in workplaces. Wear your safeties and protect your eyes - it really is that simple.
There are so many potential hazards out there, on the worksite and beyond, that wearing safeties can save you from.
Plus, they don't just save your eyes from unexpected one-off accidents, UV-blocking lenses shield your eyes from the sun’s rays and it's long-term harmful affects.
Of course, safety eyewear ticks the box for the Safety Officer, but it also gives you peace of mind that your eyes are safe wherever you go, from whatever you face.
How to Choose the Right Protective Eyewear
Before choosing protective eyewear, you’ve got to know what you're up against. Do you need lightweight protection for everyday use, or intense protection for more dangerous jobs? Asses the risk, and determine what level of protection you need.
After that, one of the biggest things is to decide which lens type is most suitable for the job.
You might want clear lenses for indoor work, or polarised lenses if you're always outdoors battling the harsh Aussie sun or even a photochromic lens if you're doing a bit of both!
Another massively important factor in your choice is comfort.
It's likely that you'll be wearing them for hours on end, so you've got to love wearing them.
Try them on, make sure they fit comfortably, aren't too tight and can stand up to the rigours of a tough day on the tools.
You're also going to want a pair that lasts right?
Don't put up with cheap, flimsy safeties that don't last longer than a week.
At SafeStyle, we've created durable safety glasses that last way longer than your average throwaway safeties.
Choose quality over quantity.
Changing the game of Protective Eyewear
Historically, protective eyewear has been about as boring as it gets.
Eye protection is usually uncomfortable, ugly and just generally horrible to wear.
That's when SafeStyle Founder Tim Lewis, changed the game by creating his own pair of stylish safety glasses.
This began a protective eyewear revolution!
SafeStyle now have a huge range of stylish safety glasses that are also comfortable to wear on site all day.
They're so good, people are now wearing safety glasses beyond the worksite, and at the weekend too.
Whether you're down the pub, fishing out on the water or getting stuck into some four-wheel driving, SafeStyle pairs offer elite level eye protection and a stylish look.
Now that protective eyewear looks good, people are more likely to wear it, even for 'low-risk' jobs - and then more eyes will be safe!
Safety glasses are now cool!
Conclusion
Protective eyewear has always been a staple of workplace safety for a huge range of industries.
Once a notoriously ugly and uncomfortable necessity, it's now a fashion statement!
Now with the creation of stylish pairs, wearing eye protection is no longer a chore.
SafeStyle has changed the game forever and is continuing to develop new stylish pairs of safeties to push boundaries on what is possible.
Hit the button below to check out the full range of stylish protective eyewear and upgrade to the ultimate safety glasses.
