Protecting your eyes is crucial in order to keep them healthy and to keep your vision strong for years to come. This is especially true if your job puts your eyes at risk. About 2000 workers in the United States have an eye-related injury on the job every day. Prescription safety glasses can help you to avoid injury while still being able to see clearly. 

Here’s what you need to know about what prescription safety glasses are like, what they can help with, and why they’re so important to your eye health.

What Are Prescription Safety Glasses?

First things first, prescription safety glasses are just what they sound like. They’re safety glasses with a prescription. Safety glasses are used in environments where your eyes are at risk, such as when you work in a lab and need to protect your eyes from chemicals or when you work on a construction site and need to protect your eyes from any flying particles. 

Prescription safety glasses allow you to be able to see clearly while still protecting your eyes. If you wear contact lenses, then you can just wear normal safety glasses and be fine. However, if you prefer glasses, you cannot wear your glasses under your safety glasses, as this negates their effectiveness. Thus, you would need to get safety glasses that have a prescription. 

What Types Of Jobs Necessitate Safety Glasses?

You can sustain an eye injury in nearly any type of job, however, there are certain jobs that require safety glasses. The Department of Labor says that employees need protective eyewear when their jobs expose them to hazards from flying objects, flying particles, liquid chemicals, chemical gases or vapors, acids, caustic liquids, or light radiation that could cause injury. 

This means that you’d likely need safety glasses if you work in:

• Construction
• Laboratories
• Welding
• Factories
• Mechanical projects
• And more

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA) requires employers to provide their employees with the necessary PPE, including safety glasses.

How Are Safety Glasses Different From Regular Glasses?

It’s common for people to assume that their normal glasses are protection enough and that they don’t need safety glasses. This isn’t true. Safety glasses are made out of heavy-duty materials that minimize the risk of shattering. They are heat resistant and thicker than normal glasses. They have 360 coverage, so that they not only protect right in front of your eyes, but also the top, bottom, and sides that normal glasses leave exposed. 

Safety glasses need to meet specific standards set by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and approved by OSHA. Different safety glasses have different safety ratings which are suitable for different jobs. Your job should tell you what safety rating you need. 

Safety glasses both need to meet the standard set and approved by ANSI and OSHA and have the ANSI safety marking on them in order to be truly effective. 

How Do You Get Prescription Safety Glasses?

You can get prescription safety glasses by going to your eye care provider. You can also use your prescription to obtain prescription safety glasses from a safety glasses retailer. You will need to know the ANSI rating that your job requires, as well as your specific needs. Prescription safety glasses can be single-vision, bifocals, progressives, and more.   

It is best to select your prescription safety glasses in person. This is because you need to ensure that they’re comfortable to wear. You’re going to be wearing them for hours on end, after all. Poor-fitting glasses can result in all sorts of problems, from headaches to your glasses constantly sliding down your nose and more.

The right prescription safety glasses have your prescription, meet the ANSI rating of your job, and are comfortable for you to wear. 

Do You Need Prescription Safety Glasses?

As you can see, prescription safety glasses are incredibly important. You cannot choose between protecting your eyes and being able to see clearly. You need both clear vision and eye protection in order to carry out your work safely and efficiently.

Wolcott Optical provides prescription safety glasses. If you are in need of safety glasses, please don’t hesitate to contact us today. We will help you select the ideal pair for your specific needs. Contact us today or stop by our store to learn more about the different types of glasses that we carry.