Eye Protection Opinions

[tobydog]

A recent incident at our range has us re-thinking the eye protection rules. We require the use of eye protection for anyone at the match, but regular eye glasses were acceptable, as is the case at most ranges I've shot at. What are your opinions and what does your club require for eye protection? Are plastic eye lenses enough? What about regular "glass" lenses? Should you require polycarbonate slip on protection over the eye glasses? Not looking for a rules discussion, just opinions on what you would consider acceptable club rules. Thanks. Tobydog.

[ipscron2000]

tobydog

I know there are safety glasses that are large enough to fit over eye glasses. They look horrible but they work. You club could invest in some of those and the regular version of safety glasses. Basically at our range if your not wearing some kind of eye protection you will be asked to leave the range.

[dajarrel]

Eye protection around most ranges are pretty slim when it comes to prescription glasses. Most folks who don't wear prescription glasses typically wear some "cool" safety glasses or something they may have gotten from work. These are being made today to look "cool" so that people will wear them. These should have the designation 'Z81' ( I believe that is it) which designate that they are impact resistant.

However back to the prescription glasses. Most casual shooters that wear prescrips just wear whatever glasses they use on a daily basis and expect them to protect thier eyes. Well, they may provide some small protection but unless they are "safety" glasses, (polycarbonate or glass) they are not providing the impact protection of the level that we as shooters need.

Another problem presented with prescription glasses are that they do not provide side protection unless you wear sideshields with them. But they look so Dorky most people won't wear them. I have seen shrapnel hit a shooter in the eye around the edge of his glasses at an indoor range. He was fortunate to get off with a red mark on the white part of the eye. I wear them (sideshields) any time we are shooting indoors but but for some reason do not have them on my prescription sunglasses for outdoors use.

I, like tobydog, think we should be more concerned with proper eye protection.

FWIW

dj

[Jim Norman]

Anything is better than nothing, but.....

Regular prescription glasses as stated do not cover the sides and may have too much open area above and below the lenses. The frames may also not have the strength to withstand a heavy impact.

My personal choice is to wear a pair of Rudy RB3. Basic reason is that they provide full wrap around protection and the lenses are optically clean. The other reason being that the prescription lenses sit where they should with the wraparound portion in front.

As a rule we do not let anyone on our range not wearing eye and ear protection. I would not object too much to increasing the rules to require wrap around protection. I see alot of people with those little designer eyeglasses. They offer littl eif any protection. the old "dorky" looking big frame glasses at least covered your eyes from the front.

Jim

[Shipster]

Our Clubs Lawyer advised us to only STRONGLY advise the use of hearing and eye protection. So that is how our club signs read

[MoNsTeR]

I always wear my regular glasses. I've looked at some prescription lens or insert safety glasses, but all the ones I've seen are uncomfortable or limit my vision. Also I've always found that no two pairs of glasses "feel" the same, so changing from my regular pair for shooting would be very disorienting.

If a club declared regular prescription glasses as "not good enough," I wouldn't shoot there...

[Jim Norman]

Uncompensaated plug mode on

Noah, Try a pair of Rudy glasses. I also had the same problem, but the Rudy frame holds the corrective lense in the right place and the wraparound over lense in front. I also stopped trying to shoot action with my progressives. Now I use a single correction focused on the front sight distance.

I Now return to my normal mode

I have seen shrapnel come back around regular glasses. If you do continue to wear your regular glasses, at least wear side sheilds. Hopefully you have very large lenses. My main concern is about the designers lenses that some people wear, you know the ones that are not much larger than the shooters eye. These should not be allowed, they are not protective at all.

My opinion

Jim Norman

[Skywalker]

tobydog,

I posted the following on these forums some time ago.

Have a look at case #1.

http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?...indpost&p=67038

Now, having witnessed this, I wouldn't advice to shoot wearing regular glasses, for the reasons Jim posted.

[tobydog]

Skywalker, Thanks for the link, that was an interesting discussion. Other than Vinces statement about small glasses, the general opinion seems to be there is no specific rule on what is considered adequate "eye protection".

Jim Norman, I'll have to look at the Rudy glasses myself. They go over your regular glasses? That would be great!

Thanks for the reply guys, tobydog.

[Jayson@IGF]

I've been wanting to pick up some Oakleys, but have been too lazy to find a dealer. Some local motorcycle shops have them occasionaly but only a limited selection.

I see a lot of people wearing prescription eye glasses at the local range. I hadnt thought about that not being the best idea before. I have been hit a couple times with pieces of lead big enough to shatter glass.

[diehli]

Here's an interesting little tidbit: both Taran and Voigt have had pieces of metal stuck in their eyeballs. Taran from shooting, Mike from working in a shop. Seems to me they healed up pretty good.

[/thread drift]

[ErikW]

I just picked up some $15.99 UVEX glasses from Sportsmans Warehouse. ANSI-rated, side protection, anti-sweat, anti-fog, adjustable, at a price that makes TSA/airline theft less painful.

[hitman]

What is your sight worth?

I use balistic impact rated safety glasses and would advise those wearing perscription glasses to invest in a pair of Safety Glasses.

Cheap insurance for continued sight.

[TBF]

Believe me having a chunk of metal removed from your eyeball is no fun.

Especially when they have to " bore out " the rust ring caused by steel, and the little mini dremel tool device they are using has a battery malfunction and they have to proced with a manual scraper... Still gives me nightmares 13 years later.

Safety glasses behave completely differently than ordinary plastic lenses when hit by stuff ( light or heavy stuff ) I have retired many pairs of safety glasses at work with a final " destructive testing " using whatever implement of destruction that was most handy.

Ordinary plastic lenses shatter far easier.

My dog ate my wifes glasses when he was a pup, including shattering the lenses with his teeth.

Travis F.

[Guest Gunslinger45]

Here's what I recommend for every possible occurance that may arise;

[Matt Cheely]

I use oakley M frames because I already had them for riding my bike. Excellent optical clarity and I've seen a lens shot with a shotgun, none of the pellets went through. Who knows what the guy's face would have looked like...