Don’t put your eyes, something so highly valued at risk when wearing protective goggles or glasses is so simple, they can make a difference.   

Prevent Blindness America states that each year more than 700,000 Americans injure their eyes at work. Another 125,000 Americans injure their eyes at home.  Another 40,000 American children and adults suffer eye injuries during sports, while many more eye injuries go unreported. Experts say that using the proper safety goggles or glasses could prevent around 90% of all eye injuries. Depending on your lifestyle or work situation your safety goggles or glasses could vary.

Do you know the difference between safety goggles/glasses and regular eyeglasses?

Protective eyewear has to meet a higher standard for impact protection than normal eyewear.  Protective or “safety” glasses can have prescription lenses or normal non-prescription (aka plano) lenses. Regardless of size or durability of the frame and lenses, regular everyday eyewear does not qualify as safety or protective eyewear, unless a specific criteria is meet (aka the higher standard).  The higher standard is more commonly known as the safety guidelines for the workplace, which is established by the United States federal government. The goal of the government is to decrease the risk of injuries on the job.  The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) acts within the U.S. Department of Labor and oversees safety practices in the workplace and in educational settings.