Most people include glass lenses in their frames due to a wide array of reasons. However, in the case of eye protection PPE, the very material may be a misfit. Make no mistake, there are certain advantages associated with wearing glass lenses. You could use glass lenses in your eyewear if you want to in situations where the quality of vision overshadows the protective aspect. For instance, protective eyeglasses for a laboratory where hazards that could force blunt trauma actions are quite less as compared to an industrial workplace. Nevertheless, there are pros & cons associated with wearing glass lenses.
So what glass lenses are good for?
- Greater Optical Clarity
Glass is the ideal material used in prescription frames due to its ability to offer a crystal clear view that is unmatched by any other material. This is exactly why glass material is used in instruments like telescopes, cameras which require an extremely accurate view.
- High Scratch Resistance
They are highly resistant to scratches. In most cases, glass lenses do not require any additional coating in order to prevent scratches.
- Long-Lasting
Glass material is able to last longer than other materials such as plastic.
What makes them a bad choice for PPE?
When it comes to wearing PPE, the glass material is just too brittle to be able to provide the required level of protection as expected out of your gear. You’d be putting yourself at a lot of risks altogether. According to the US Bureau Of Labor Statistics, most workers get their eyes injured as a result of not wearing the required PPE for eye protection. Hence, it’s important to get lenses that boast a greater level of durability than glass.
Polycarbonate material is the answer
There’s a reason why branded protective eyewear as 3M Safety Glasses work best when coupled with something more durable as a polycarbonate material. It offers ten times stronger protection than glass or plastic material. Being more lightweight, durable & malleable at the same time, polycarbonate has become the standard choice for making high-end protective eyewear. Even if you require some sort of vision correction in your eyes, using the same material allows you to add a higher level of the prescription index as opposed to glass lenses.
Moreover, the ANSI Z87.1 rating, which requires your eyewear to offer shatterproof protection, prescribes using polycarbonate lenses for providing protection against most hazards. Hence, when purchasing eye protection PPE, one should always consider getting either polycarbonate or Trivex lenses in them. 3M ZT200 is an excellent option that is best used when you add any one of the aforementioned material.
Conclusion
The verdict stands in favor of polycarbonate lenses when choosing safety eyewear. Even if you require some sort of vision correction in your eyewear, the very material could easily be chosen that gives you the best of both visual acuity & shatterproof protection. It is recommended to add a couple of lens coatings such as anti-scratch & anti-reflective solution that would make your experience a lot better.
