Can You Use Prescription Glasses as Safety Glasses

Safety glasses provide protection to your eyes without correcting your vision. Safety glasses and Prescription Glasses have different purposes and functions, it would be improper to use one in place of the other. The only exception would be if you specifically purchase prescription safety glasses.

Everyone desires to keep their precious eyesight throughout their lives. Unfortunately, many people lose or impair their eyes, mostly from accidents at home and work.

In America, about 900,000 people injure their eyes every year, according to Prevent Blindness America. Nine in ten, or about 810,000 of these cases, could be prevented if people wore safety eyewear when at risk.

The price you have to pay for good eyesight is very high. No one gets reminded more about this than people in professions where superior eye protection is required. If you wear prescription glasses, you must wonder whether your everyday glasses are good enough to be safety glasses whenever the need arises. These commonly asked questions and their answers will help you understand why.

Are Prescription Glasses and Safety Glasses the Same?

The most significant difference between prescription glasses and safety glasses is how they are designed and made. To an ordinary eye, some safety glasses may pass for prescription glasses. After all, they are both glasses; they may both have impact-resistant frames and can even have the same decorations. Make no mistakes; prescription and safety glasses are different. They differ in these ways.

Design

A lot of considerations go into the choice of the lens material of safety glass. The material has to be strong, clear, and impact-resistant. The safety glass lens is rigorously tested and to ensure it meets federal law safety requirements.

Safety glasses are designed to offer protection from flying objects and hazardous materials. Hence, they tend to cover as much of the eye area as possible.

Prescription glasses and regular eyeglasses designed to be comfortable to wear cannot offer the level of eye protection that the safety glasses provide. The ‘dress eyewear’ glasses are designed to be light visually appealing above protective.

Build Material

Prescription glasses are made primarily to help the wearer see. The thin lens must be as transparent as possible. The manufacturer cannot compromise the clarity of the glass by adding a layer of anti-shatter protection. Most safety glass lenses are made from impact-resistant polycarbonate materials. Because the material offers protection from flying objects and hazardous materials, the lens material is often thick. As technology advances, these materials are getting lighter and thinner but stronger.

Can Prescription Glasses Be Used as Safety Glasses?

The primary purpose of prescription glasses is to correct vision. Safety glasses provide eye protection without correcting the vision. Because they both have different purposes and functions, it would be improper to use one in place of the other.

The law specifies the minimum safety requirements that glasses must meet before they are certified safe for use. Prescription glasses are not subjected to these minimum safety requirements. Wearing prescription glasses where you are required to wear safety glasses is illegal.

How About Prescription Safety Glasses?

Many professionals who require to wear safety glasses and prescription glasses can order safety glasses designed and made to their vision correction specifications.

Can Safety Glasses be Worn Over Prescription Glasses?

Did you know that many safety glasses are designed to accommodate people who wear prescription glasses? Many people do not know this fact. The safety glasses, especially those made for work use, may be worn over a standard-sized prescription glass.

Manufacturers have been compelled to design personal protective equipment, including goggles and safety glasses, that do not discriminate against prescription glass wearers. Note, however, that not all safety glasses are designed to be worn over prescription glasses.

Professionals who have to work in high-risk work environments such as heavy equipment, construction, and research labs ensure their safety glasses can go over the prescription glasses.

Who Needs to Wear Safety Glasses?

For the safety of your eyes, you must wear protective glasses everywhere there is a sign of wearing protective eyeglasses. You can always see these signs in places where there are flying objects, loose particles, dust, hazardous chemicals, or dust.

If you work in manufacturing, welding, electrical work, auto repair, carpentry, maintenance, or plumbing, you must have safety glasses. These occupational risks mean that the eyes must be protected like every other part of the body.

The people most at risk from eye injuries are hobbyists, and people attempting maintenance work at home without adequate protection. Seemingly simple tasks can be quite dangerous.

Trimming the hedge, painting, lawn mowing, and other power tool activities launch tiny particles into the air at high speeds. You should wear safety glasses every time you use these tools.

If you have questions about the information above or you would like to learn about prescription safety glasses please call customer care at 833-485-6095.