Standard eyeglasses are designed to improve vision, but they don’t deliver a lot of protection. Safety glasses are designed to protect your eyes from all kinds of injury, whether you’re working in a metal shop or just tackling a DIY project at home. Any type of flying object can potentially injure the eye and most safety glasses simply work as a physical barrier between your eye and whatever might be flying at it. Most eye injuries that occur in the U.S. are completely preventable, but happen because people either aren’t wearing safety glasses or aren’t wearing the right type of safety glasses for the job. Payne Glasses is here to change that by teaching you what to look for in good safety glasses.

Protects Against Hazards

The type of safety glasses you’ll need will depend on what type of hazards are present. If you’re doing yard work, you’ll need a different type of safety glasses than if you’re a welder. Look around your workspace or think through your project and take a mental inventory of all the different types of hazards. Do you need safety glasses that are simply impact-resistant, or do you need them to be tinted as well? There are four main types of hazards you’ll encounter:

1. Physical – flying objects and particles
2. Radiation – UV radiation from the sun, welding flash, lasers, etc.
3. Heat – Hot liquids, steam, molten metal and open flames
4. Chemical – Cleaning products and other hazardous liquids as well as irritating gasses, powders and chemical vapors

A good pair of safety glasses should protect against all of the potential hazards you could encounter, so really take conditions into account and decide what type of protection you need.

Choose the Right Lenses

Not all safety glasses are created the same. In fact, there’s several kinds of lens materials used and the one you choose will depend on what hazards you’re trying to avoid. Polycarbonate lenses are the most common because they’re impact-resistant, lightweight and affordable. NXT and Trivex lenses deliver superior optical clarity, but are more expensive than other types of lenses. For those that work with chemical hazards, acrylic lenses are a great option. Least common are glass safety glasses, which are heavier, but deliver excellent scratch resistance and clarity.

When choosing safety glasses, pick a pair with the right type of lenses for the particular hazards you might encounter. If you’re not sure, polycarbonate lenses are an affordable, lightweight option that protects against a lot of common eye hazards.

Shop by Size

Finally, take into account size when ordering safety glasses. Larger glasses offer more protection, but can be hard to wear with other personal protective equipment like hard hats or masks. Safety glasses can also come with side protection, preventing hazards from entering eyes through the sides. Adjustable arms, padded noses and other comfort features can help make larger safety glasses not only feel more comfortable, but also fit better.

Now that you know what to look for in good safety glasses, you can find the right pair for your task. Safety glasses are easy to order online and you can even have your prescription added to select styles.