Having a reliable pair of sunglasses that provide ample protection against a variety of hazards is a no-brainer for people involved in recreational hunting or shooting. An unforeseen accident can often induce irreparable harm to the unprotected eye. When you’re out in the woods hunting, hazards such as debris, dust, bullet projectiles, gunpowder, smoke & other foreign objects can damage your eyes.
To ensure eye safety, one always needs to be taking adequate measures of eye safety. According to the Vision Council of America, more than half a million get their eyes injured every year when engaged in any outdoor recreation or pursuit. Optometrist recommends wearing prescription safety glasses – during both work and play – which effectively curtails the chances of eye injury.
Things to Look For in Safety Glasses
Lens Material
Lenses form the core of any eyewear that offers a certain level of safety assurance. Most top protective eyeglasses from top brands as ANSI Z87.1 rated which means they offer high impact resistance which keeps the lens intact. The most popular choices are polycarbonate or Trivex lens material which provide the necessary shatterproof safety expected out of a standard PPE. The former is excellent in terms of offering high-impact resistance, robustness & being very light. The latter offers a more accurate prescription index which is a great option if you can spend a little more for the sake of vision correction. On the whole, both lens materials offer shatterproof protection which makes both of them ideal choices in most cases. Top drawer brands such as Pentax safety glasses offer both lens material options.
Frame Style
A frame covering a larger area of your face would offer a greater protective overlay. A wraparound shape is ideal when it comes to protecting the area of your face surrounding your eyes. At times, side shields may offer effective protection. However, there is no substitute for a well-designed wrap shape that has a larger spread on your face. Wiley X Slay is a great option to be used as shooting glasses that come with rubber-injected temples & nose pieces for a nonslip grip. Rubber grips help during shooting when you’re crouching or bending downwards to pick any object off the floor. It always pays off to buy from a high-quality brand. Other shapes such as wide rectangle rims can also work as long as they’re equipped with side shields.
Glare & UV Protection
If you’re the type who likes to shoot outdoors, it makes sense to choose lenses that help reduce glare caused by sunlight. Lens colors are a huge factor when it comes to reducing the amount of light entering the lens. The smoke grey color is one example that has low light level transmissions thus offering excellent protection against glare. Polycarbonate lenses in most Wiley X Safety Glasses promise 100% protection against UV A & B types of rays. However, lens tint may vary a lot by contrast for those who practice shooting indoors.
