# Prescription safety/sports glasses



## Brandito (Feb 26, 2009)

First, does anyone know if there's any actual difference between sports and safety glasses as far as actual safety goes?

I just started wearing glasses 6-7 months ago. I'm looking around and sports glasses seem to be much more readily available. I see most all use polycarbonate lenses but can't confirm whether they're z87 or not.

I'm mostly looking at online glasses retailers. They have much better prices than brick and mortar and quality seems just as good to me.

Most of the ones I'm looking at look like standard "stylish" safety glasses with a set of prescription lenses behind them. I see you can also get them with a single set of lenses but the highest prescription i saw was -1.50 cyl and i'm -2.50 cyl.

I definitely want tinted outer lenses, since I'm a framer and I'm rarely inside.

What do most guys with glasses do for eye protection? Are typical prescription glasses generally considered good enough on the job? So long as they use polycarbonate lenses? They just don't seem to wrap around the eyes enough to me, I've had shrapnel come at some pretty odd angles! 

My regular safety glasses usually only lasted a few months before they were scratched beyond usability, but those were only a few bucks a piece.


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## Framer53 (Feb 23, 2008)

I buy from Wal mart. The scratch resistant coating. They have a one year warentee. had them replaced several times.

i buy from them because of their liberal return policy with very few questions.

Safety glasses have a wring somewhere on the lens that identifies them as safety glasses. if OSHA inspects they will look. You must have side shields which the pair I have clip on.

Be careful on ladders with glasses until you are used to them....


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## Brandito (Feb 26, 2009)

Framer53 said:


> Be careful on ladders with glasses until you are used to them....


You mean be careful looking down at all! Took me a few days before I got acclimated to them, took a couple tumbles down the stairs and driving I held off wearing them for a bit too.

My astigmatism made things all the weirder, with glasses on I feel like I'm sitting higher in my truck, and my computer monitor looks like it's tilted towards me with them on and away with them off.

I'm good now, just wanting some pointers on prescription safety glasses. I've always been big into wearing eye protection when working, it's bad enough my eyes have degraded so much in the past year, don't care to artificially speed up the process :whistling


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

I still have a vivid recollection of that distortion when I stared wearing glasses a few decades ago. Besides the navigation oddities, the first time I took a forkful of food with them on, I about freaked. I swore the fork was headed straight for my eye. :laughing:

As Framer53 says, you need glasses that actually say somewhere on them that they meet certain specs (and they will provide full side protection if they do) in order to satisfy OSHA. I don't think sports glasses generally meet all the criteria.

Having said that, I confess that I rarely bother with more than my regular plastic-lensed prescription glasses. Only if I know there's going to be massive amounts of stuff flying do I dig out the fancy ones. I admit that's not the smartest thing in the world, but so far I've gotten away with it.

Of course, that also means that I need new lenses every year or two, because they do get dinged up.


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## SLSTech (Sep 13, 2008)

Z87 is the stamp your looking for - my regular Oakley's are not (which I wear all the time anyways), the Oakley military version I have is approved

http://blog.sls-construction.com/2010/safety-sunday-safety-glasses


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## Brandito (Feb 26, 2009)

Tinstaafl said:


> I still have a vivid recollection of that distortion when I stared wearing glasses a few decades ago. Besides the navigation oddities, the first time I took a forkful of food with them on, I about freaked. I swore the fork was headed straight for my eye. :laughing:
> 
> As Framer53 says, you need glasses that actually say somewhere on them that they meet certain specs (and they will provide full side protection if they do) in order to satisfy OSHA. I don't think sports glasses generally meet all the criteria.
> 
> ...


Well you might want to check out places like goggles4u or eyebuydirect. They sell prescription glasses at a huge discount. Bought from them myself, even their 5 dollar frames are as good or better than the chap 50 dollar frames I got the america's best. They sell the most typical kinds of lenses, poly, 1.50 up to high index plastic and glass of course. You can get all the coatings you'd expect, generally for free or cheap. They offer transitions, tinting to different levels, progressives, bifocals, pretty much everything.

They do have some limits on how strong a prescription they can make, +-4.50 for goggles4u I believe.

With coupon codes you can get most cheap frames down to under 15 bucks for a pair, sometimes you can literally get free glasses if you go cheap frames and basic plastic lenses, might be perfect for your "safety" glasses 

I've read good reviews, and had a good experience myself, take note of the dimensions of your current glasses though, you'll want to stick with those same rough dimensions (though I may not need to tell you that!) I picked some that were a little bit short to reach my ears and they're not so comfy. Then again they're plastic frames with glass lenses and i'm used to light metal with poly lenses.

Each pair comes with a hard case and cleaning cloth too, something that i didn't get at the brick and mortar store :/

They're at least worth the experiment for the price, be prepared to wait a couple weeks though. I have a 3rd pair coming soon, bought some to use as sunglasses in my truck, my experiment with transitions lenses has been a failure, though only a 25 dollar (that's for 2 pairs) failure!


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## Brandito (Feb 26, 2009)

SLSTech said:


> Z89 is the stamp your looking for - my regular Oakley's are not (which I wear all the time anyways), the Oakley military version I have is approved
> 
> http://blog.sls-construction.com/2010/safety-sunday-safety-glasses


Is z87 no longer acceptable? Or does it depend on the type of work? I don't think any of my current non-prescription glasses are even z89.

I'm thinking if I do go with prescription afety glasses I might get the ones that have inner and outer lenses, maybe find some where the frames can be replaced cheaply and focus on making the inner rx lenses last.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

I believe it's the Z87 there lookin for. I get all my safety glasses from
http://www.safevision.net/ and have been for years. I keep a dark one for outside and a clear one for inside trim work:thumbsup: The dark ones currently have a bad ding right in the middle of the right lens that would have taken my eye out


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Brandito said:


> Well you might want to check out places like goggles4u or eyebuydirect.


Thanks, I'll check them out. Though in the past, my experience has been that cheap glasses are usually... cheap glasses.



> I have a 3rd pair coming soon, bought some to use as sunglasses in my truck, my experiment with transitions lenses has been a failure, though only a 25 dollar (that's for 2 pairs) failure!


I won't wear shades of any sort. I'm convinced that doing so makes your eyes "lazy", and they slowly lose a percentage of their ability to adjust to changing conditions without artificial aids. 

Ironically, the same holds true for regular corrective lenses. As you continue to wear them, you'll most likely find that you need a stronger prescription every 1-2 years, for quite some time (until fossilization sets in). Unfortunately, we can't very well get along without them in today's world.


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## Brandito (Feb 26, 2009)

Tinstaafl said:


> Thanks, I'll check them out. Though in the past, my experience has been that cheap glasses are usually... cheap glasses.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I've heard that about rx glasses but I've also heard it's a myth/misconception and that the contrary is true that not getting corrective lenses can do more harm.

As for tinted lenses they keep me from squinting and getting a headache, I guess as long as your non tinted lenses have UV protection all should be fine.

What is bad is sunglasses that don't block UV, they allow your eyes to stay open and absorb more UV rays than squinting. I can't find anything confirming that sunglasses are bad for your eyes though.



> I believe it's the Z87 there lookin for. I get all my safety glasses from
> http://www.safevision.net/ and have been for years. I keep a dark one for outside and a clear one for inside trim work The dark ones currently have a bad ding right in the middle of the right lens that would have taken my eye out


Checked out their site earlier, they have some really nice glasses, but the prices are killer. They did have some cheaper frames with rx inserts though that could be had for around 100. How long have yours lasted? I guess if you can get a year or more out of them then that's not so bad. Supposed to get an eye exam yearly anyways.

I guess since being laid off so long I've become a bit of a cheapskate :/


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Brandito said:


> Checked out their site earlier, they have some really nice glasses, but the prices are killer. They did have some cheaper frames with rx inserts though that could be had for around 100. How long have yours lasted? I guess if you can get a year or more out of them then that's not so bad. Supposed to get an eye exam yearly anyways.
> I guess since being laid off so long I've become a bit of a cheapskate :/


Mine last for years, the clear ones are 7or6 years old and need to be replaced because the RX is no longer good:sad: And the dark ones are 4 or 5 years old and need new lenses because of the ding. So i do get my money worth's out of them and I write them off on my taxes:whistling When I'm on a big job with a safety man they checkim for the Z87:no:


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## Brandito (Feb 26, 2009)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> Mine last for years, the clear ones are 7or6 years old and need to be replaced because the RX is no longer good:sad: And the dark ones are 4 or 5 years old and need new lenses because of the ding. So i do get my money worth's out of them and I write them off on my taxes:whistling When I'm on a big job with a safety man they checkim for the Z87:no:


Good to hear, bookmarked the site and I'll keep them in mind when I have a bit more money to spend and an actual need!


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Brandito said:


> I've heard that about rx glasses but I've also heard it's a myth/misconception and that the contrary is true that not getting corrective lenses can do more harm.


Both are probably true, just depends on exactly what your problem is. All I know is that I once broke a pair of glasses, didn't get another for two years, and when I did, my eyes had actually gotten a bit better. The optometrist agreed with my guess that perhaps making 'em work was what did it.



> As for tinted lenses they keep me from squinting and getting a headache, I guess as long as your non tinted lenses have UV protection all should be fine.


A good hat goes a long way toward alleviating squinting. :thumbsup:

I've never quite bought into the thing about UV. I know many old farmers who've worked in the sun all their lives without such protection, and they seem no worse off than office workers of the same age.

The medical profession is just as prone to jumping onto fad bandwagons as any other group.


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## Brandito (Feb 26, 2009)

Tinstaafl said:


> I've never quite bought into the thing about UV. I know many old farmers who've worked in the sun all their lives without such protection, and they seem no worse off than office workers of the same age.


I wear ball caps religious actually, they don't work ear as well as glasses, at least for me. Hard hats are a bit worse, especially when worn backwards, but that's just user error.

There's a strong correlation between UV rays and certain types of cancers. UV protective lenses are the equivalent to sunblock for your eyes.

With the eyes, however, you can squint and block a good deal out. Wearing sunglasses just helps a bit more.


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## Dirtywhiteboy (Oct 15, 2010)

Tinstaafl said:


> I've never quite bought into the thing about UV. I know many old farmers who've worked in the sun all their lives without such protection,
> .


 http://healthwise-everythinghealth.blogspot.com/2011/06/pterygium.html
Seems like a third of the people you see over here and in south Fla. have this. It is caused by too much UV in the eye, often seen in a surfers or snow skiers eye because the light is amplified off of the water and snow. I have very light eyes and can't function in the bright light sunlight without shades on:no:


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## SLSTech (Sep 13, 2008)

Brandito said:


> Is z87 no longer acceptable? Or does it depend on the type of work? I don't think any of my current non-prescription glasses are even z89.
> 
> I'm thinking if I do go with prescription afety glasses I might get the ones that have inner and outer lenses, maybe find some where the frames can be replaced cheaply and focus on making the inner rx lenses last.


:whistling oops, yes it is Z87 - sorry about that & thanks


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 17, 2008)

last time i saw "sport glasses" was when i was kid just starting to play hardball, they were like extremely tight uncomfortable goggles but with prescription lenses. they looked similar to raquetball goggles

saftey glasses have to have a fixed side wing to protect from dust and projectiles hitting the eye from the side. ive looked into getting them but just havent bothered.

last time i got glasses i asked about saftey glasses, they told me based on my prescription and how i get the lenses thinned im basically using the same lense as a pair of saftey glasses but without the side wings... to upgrade to the stamped version its almost $200 more.. not worth 200 more for side wings


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## Brandito (Feb 26, 2009)

woodworkbykirk said:


> last time i saw "sport glasses" was when i was kid just starting to play hardball, they were like extremely tight uncomfortable goggles but with prescription lenses. they looked similar to raquetball goggles
> 
> saftey glasses have to have a fixed side wing to protect from dust and projectiles hitting the eye from the side. ive looked into getting them but just havent bothered.
> 
> last time i got glasses i asked about saftey glasses, they told me based on my prescription and how i get the lenses thinned im basically using the same lense as a pair of saftey glasses but without the side wings... to upgrade to the stamped version its almost $200 more.. not worth 200 more for side wings


Sports glasses today look exactly like safety glasses, unless you want to look like Horace Grant!

I assume most may not be z87 though. They're certainly easier to find, but if they don't comply, they're not worth bothering.


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## Tinstaafl (Jan 6, 2008)

Dirtywhiteboy said:


> It is caused by too much UV in the eye, often seen in a surfers or snow skiers eye because the light is amplified off of the water and snow.


I knew someone was going to bring that (or something like it) up. :thumbsup:

Yeah, extreme exposure is another story. But way too often, they feed a pack of rats 1,000 times the dose of substance X that a normal human would get in ten lifetimes, and all of a sudden it's the latest Most Dangerous Thing on the planet. Yawn.


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

Brandito said:


> You mean be careful looking down at all! Took me a few days before I got acclimated to them, took a couple tumbles down the stairs and driving I held off wearing them for a bit too.
> 
> My astigmatism made things all the weirder, with glasses on I feel like I'm sitting higher in my truck, and my computer monitor looks like it's tilted towards me with them on and away with them off.
> 
> I'm good now, just wanting some pointers on prescription safety glasses. I've always been big into wearing eye protection when working, it's bad enough my eyes have degraded so much in the past year, don't care to artificially speed up the process :whistling


I have never tried using my prescription glasses for work. When I got them I was so stoked to try playing darts with them. I figured that now that I can see so much more clearly, I most definitely can hit the target now. Not even close. I can't hardly hit the board with them on. I can't imagine trying to hit a nail or doing any kind of detail work.


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## Brandito (Feb 26, 2009)

VinylHanger said:


> I have never tried using my prescription glasses for work. When I got them I was so stoked to try playing darts with them. I figured that now that I can see so much more clearly, I most definitely can hit the target now. Not even close. I can't hardly hit the board with them on. I can't imagine trying to hit a nail or doing any kind of detail work.


Guess I've adjusted to mine. I can work with them just fine. How often do you wear yours? Perhaps if you don't wear them regularly you don't fully adjust to them. I can work just fine with it without. My prescription at its worse is only -2.5.


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## VinylHanger (Jul 14, 2011)

I was thinking about that last night. I only use them for reading and on the computer, so maybe I am only partly used to them. I am hoping it is a long ways off before I need them full time though.


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## Chris Cspots (Aug 18, 2011)

*This is the difference between Safety glasses and Sports Glasses*

Good Morning 
My Name is Chris Vogler and I make Glasses. I specialize in Safety glasses and sports Glasses-

First lets talk about the Frames
Z87-1 Z87-2

the Z87 standard means that if the frame is hit, the lens will can only come out the front of the frame, it must not go back towards the face-
The testing companies- shoot 24 5/8 inch ball bearings at the Frames- 12 to the right side- 12 to the left side- the shoot the ball bearings from a distance of 50 inches- and I do apologize I do not remember the speed in which the ball bearing hit the frame- again the frame must retain the lens, or the lens must come forward/

If you were to do a cross section of the bevel that holds the lens into the frame, the safety glasses look like a "J" with the tall leg side towards the face. On Standard frames, the bevel that holds the lens looks like a "V" and simply will not hold a lens during high impact and will let the lens come back towards the face- 


Z87-1 frames must have a lens, that has the Minimum thickness of 3 Millimeters at the thinnest edge For Glass, CR39 Plastic, and for Polycarbonate lenses.- 3mm at the center of a Minus lens( For near sighted people) and 3 MM at the Outside edge of a Plus lens ( for farsighted people)

On Newer Z87-2 frames, The lens must be 3MM for Glass and for CR39
However Polycarbonate lens can be made to 2MM thickness at the thinnest edge. I personally have fired shotguns at lenses, for the State conservation agency- We reproduced the distance that Hunting accident have occurred in the state of Missouri, with the distances and the Shot that is most often involved- we shot Glass safety lenses, Plastic safety lens and Polycarbonate dress thickness lens (only 2MM thick Vs the 3mm thick for all other materials) we shot the glasses at 10 yards, 20 yards, 30 yards, and 40 yards. The shot size we used was #8 shot, #6 Shot, 3 1/2 inch Magnum turkey loads #4's and 3 1/2 inch magnum Steel BB's for waterfowl. Glass and Plastic had complete failure at all distances. We never broke a thinner Polycarbonate lens at any time.!!!


To be considered Safety- the frame must have Z87 logo on each temple (arm leg, thing that goes over your ear) the frame front, and each lens must be stamped

As far as wearing glasses, What I have learned over the 25 years in the Eye glass profession,
the longer you go without, I believe the more you strain your eyes, and you make things worse. As fare as buying over the counter bifocals, the over the counter readers have no compensation for the actual distance between your eyes and can often lead to distorted vision- Most peoples eyes are not exactly the same, so in this trade,bad vision cost your money is wasted product-One of my customers, that specializes in Clay tile roofs, that took a lot of kidding by his crew, that since he got his glasses, he was using a pallet to a half pallet less in material, because his cuts were so much better- I have heard this thought from so many framers, drywallers, roofers, finish carpenters and flooring Pro's


My next thought, is you only have one set of eyes and I don't care what they did on Star Trek, NO one can replace your eyes. I have had people say, "I want glass lens, the glass is harder to scratch, yes glass is harder to scratch, but so many times more easily broken. When glass lenses break, it goes into razor sharp shards and the damage is PERMANENT! The damage that a glass lens will do is horrific and permanent

When Looking for good safety frames, Look at the Wiley X, On Guard, Hudson, Uvex, Titmus are all very reliable- see if your company will let you try frames on, before you buy them! once they are made- the lens can not be sold to anybody else!. 

The Major points in fitting safety glasses, you want to cover the orbital cavity, - the points right under your eye brows, to right under your eye, were the bone ends and then begins- if you ever get hit, we want the object to hit bone, frame and lens first and not soft eye tissue, once your eyes ears, brains are damaged, you do not get it back

As far as shades go, please make sure your glasses have a GREAT-UV rating- I do not care who you are, every one wil develop catracts. UV protection sure will solow the development down- I see younger and younger people getting cataract surgery. We are ouside more and we are cooking our Crystaline lens inside our Eyes!

thanks for the opportunity to explain

My feelings, your most important tool for construction, is your eyes. 
It still amazes me, people will spend thousands of dollars on their tools and then want a $3 pair of glasses to cover their eyes?

thanks
Chris Cspot


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## Senorboffo (Aug 27, 2011)

ANSI approved only Z87 or Z89. The OSHA codes cite ANSI Z87, but in practice I have never seen them question Z89.

We hammer employees who wear their own (non-ANSI) approved sunglasses or other eye-wear in the field.

I simply buy and wear ANSI approved eye-wear as my daily sunglasses, and encourage others to do the same. 

In California we now have to fit-test safety glasses. While this enforcement letter deals with a niche exposure; the fact that it raises the issue now brings the issue under purview under the OSHA General Duty Clause and the new I2P2 making it applicable across the board. Basically the pencil test - if a pencil can "float" freely between the brow or side shields it does not fit.


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## scraigc (Aug 2, 2010)

ANSI z87.2 is for prescription eyewear



The basic signs of the ANSI Z87-2 standard are as follows:
1. All prescription safety glasses lenses are marked with the manufacturers logo.
2. Lenses that were impact rated will be marked with the signature ‘+’ sign.
3. Lenses in Welding (W), Tints (V), Special Purpose (S), UV protection (U) will all be marked as such.
4. Frames that are impact rated will be marked Z87-2+.
5. Detachable sideshields that are impact rated will be marked with a Z87+.


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