DON’T forget your eyewear protection! You only have 2 eyes and they are precious. And that goes for your ears as well - any use of power tools on a long term (even short term) basis can and will cause damage to your ears - many a woodworker has ended up with partial hearing loss due to the lack of attention to detail when it comes to protecting themselves. Be safe, not sorry.

Let’s take a look at what options you have for protective eyewear. For a start, get one that meets the ANSI’s Z87.1-1989 for projectiles is a good guide as to what’s good. Look, all it takes is one slip and you could have a nail, or wood chip spin into your eye. Some of the safety glasses out there aren’t meant to protect your eyes from projectiles, all they function to do is to keep the dust out of your eyes. Some of those polycarbonate varieties scratch easily and will become a hazard in themselves as they obscure your vision. And get one that’s comfortable. Not all heads are sized the same, so get an adjustable one. Check out nifty anti-fog ones - if you’re working up a sweat the last thing you want to be doing is to keep having to take them off to clean - the less frustration you have keeping them on, the more likely they are going to stay on in my opinion.

Protective eyewear - what’s on the market

Safety Glasses as protective eyewear

Huge variety out there. Some have detachable side shields. Some are even UV coated. There are even those which you can slip over your prescription glasses. Personally I find that these are okay if performing jobs that don’t require heavy machinery and you’re just trying to keep the dust out of your eyes eg when you’re sanding. You can get prescription ones done for you. However, for them to qualify as safety glasses, the frame and lenses have to carry the ANSI Z87 designation. Your optometrist will be able to show you the range of safety frames.

Goggles as protective eyewear

Fog is the bane of goggles. Some have vent holes on the side or top to minimize fogging - which may not be ideal if you’re working with chemicals as these will allow splashes to get into your eye via the vents. Good for people with glasses (like me) - I slip them over my glasses. You can get ant-fog ones (but I find that even these can fog up in the end when you’re hard at work).

Full-face shields as protective eyewear - the heavy artillery

Really only practical for those who are operating machinery. On their own hinged shields don’t offer full eye protection because they are open at the bottom. It does however protect your WHOLE face, not just your eyes. Most would suggest that you wear goggles or safety glasses even if you are wearing these face shields for added protection.

Welding goggles as protective eyewear

Really only necessary if you’re doing any welding to protect your eyes from being blinded by the light generated from welding.

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Protective eyewear