Eye goggles – when should I use them and what are the best ones?
While safety glasses can offer a certain degree of impact protection, they are not entirely foolproof. This is because safety glasses typically contain gaps around the lenses that can make your eyes susceptible to foreign particles like dust and even liquids. In this article, we discuss how to solve this problem using eye goggles and what are the best ones.
What are eye goggles?
Eye goggles are pieces of eyewear that cover the eyes and are held in place with straps. They come in various shapes, sizes, and purposes. You have swimming goggles as well as workplace safety goggles.
(Goggles are typically held to the face by straps.)
When do you have to wear eye goggles?
Therefore, when you have to engage in activities that have contact with flying debris, airborne dust, caustic vapours, and splash hazards, you may want to wear eye goggles instead of safety glasses. For example, if your work involves dusty surroundings, metal grinding, or contact with chemical hazards, eye goggles would be a suitable option.
Also, if you are swimming in chlorine waters, you may want to have eye goggles to protect your eyes from the stinging effects of chlorine. Even if you are swimming in a salt lake or in the sea, you had better put on goggles lest you get an infection from the open waters. If you are teaching children how to swim, wearing goggles could be a great encouragement as some kids may be deterred from putting their faces underwater without the help of goggles. Moreover, if your eyes are exposed to huge amounts of water for longer periods of time, they may get irritated or even dry.
(Swim goggles are useful to shield your eyes from infection or irritants in the water.)
What are the various kinds of safety eye goggles?
When worn correctly, eye goggles offer your eyes a 360-degree protection as they contain a tight, form-fitting facial seal that safety glasses do not have. Select the most suitable kind of safety goggles for the particular type of risk you have.
Direct vent goggles
Direct vent goggles have several perforations to encourage airflow to decrease lens fogging. This type of goggles is typically used for impact protection. If you want to protect your eyes against liquid, dust or caustic vapours, use other types of goggles instead.
Indirect vent goggles
This type of goggles provides better protection for liquid splashes as it utilises covered vents (instead of perforations) to promote airflow. That being said, although the covered vents encourage airflow, indirect t vent goggles will fog up more often. Look for models with an anti-fog coating. Still, these types of goggles should not be used around caustic vapors.
Non-vented goggles
This kind of goggle is completely sealed and does not contain any vents. Hence they offer great protection from impact, splash, dust and caustic vapors. However, owing to the lack of vents, these goggles tend to fog up quickly. Thus you would need an anti-fog lens.
Wear goggles to protect your eyes
If your work entails a risk of exposure to certain harmful eye irritants, choose the most appropriate type of it to safeguard your eyes. After all, your eyes are one of your most valuable and vulnerable assets, and they need reliable protection. Failing to wear proper eye goggles could result in permanent or temporary loss of vision.
(When at work, use the most suitable type of eye goggles to protect your eyes.)
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