Prescription Safety Eyewear

Prescription Safety Eyewear

It has been rather simple to purchase safety glasses but if you need prescription safety eyewear, it can be difficult if you’re not going about it online. Styles are limited and while most stores will not certify that their lenses conform to the safety standards as set forth by ANSI (American National Standards Institute) due to liability issues that will not be an issue when ordering online because everything is printed in black and white for you.

So what’s the first step?

First, if you do need both corrective lenses and protective eyewear, you may want to select one of these alternative options so you can adequately see and keep your eyes safe by avoiding accidental mishaps.

• Get a prescription lens to clip on (there may be attachable inserts available) to the inside of your safety lens wear. There will be some distortion looking through the clipped-on lens then through the safety eyewear however.
• Get safety lens wear that are made to fit over your existing prescription glasses. Often, this is a goggle-type, over-covering that becomes a bit clunky and fogs up. There may also be some distortion here too as your eyes will have to look through the protective lens as well as your prescription lens. Note: The materials in your existing prescription lenses (such as polycarbonate lenses) may already conform to your safety eyewear regulations. Check your safety requirements and with your eye care provider.
• Use prescription contact lenses and wear the safety glasses over them. Be aware that contact lens wearers are often required to remove their contact lenses in certain job situations. In other words, you may not be allowed to wear your contact lenses on the job, anyway.
• I saved the best for last because; in my opinion, the most comfortable and efficient safety eyewear is one that has the prescription built right into the safety eyewear themselves.

Now, many popular styles by eyewear designers such as Global Vision Eyewear, Spits Adventure Wear, Safety Products Marketplace and Elvex can be found online for specifically for prescription safety eyewear. Except in the case of “Plano” polycarbonate lenses, you will need to provide a current prescription so they can cut and insert your lens for you.

Plano lenses are basically your prescription minus the magnification power. They are essentially blank lenses. I like to think of it as Plain Ol’ lens but the truth of the matter is that it is can be far from plain as these are prescription quality lenses with the same properties that allow you to add: coatings such as tints, scratch-resistant, anti-reflective, etc.

Click on the image for great deals on prescription safety eyewear.

If at all possible, I don’t like having to change my glasses out so I purchased the Rawhide RX’able ANSI Z87-2 Prescription Safety Glasses by Spits Adventure. The shatterproof polycarbonate lens, scratch resistant coat and UV protection helps protect the lens as well as my eyes. I couldn’t be happier. I now have sporty eyewear that I can wear at work and play.