Safety glasses

[cma0002]

Ok guys. I have been an Optician for 10 years. I currently manage the optical department in our Local Target store. Over the years I have seen many, many people lose an eye or their eyes due to a lapse in judgement. I have read on here many times about the importance of dust collection, but I have not seen many on the importance of eye protection. Most of the time when we treat a damaged eye it does not phase us. We see it all too often. We become callous to the effects this is going to have on a person for the rest of their lives. Young kids have always been the exception. It crushes me to see a child come in and have to leave being told they will never see again. It happened today with an adult. He was a WW that had a piece of wood hit him in the eye. Hurt but he did not think he needed medical attention. Long story short, he caused a corneal abrasion on the visual axis, meaning over his line of sight on the pupil. He said it hurt but tolerable. It developed into an ulceration within a few days and hurt like h_ll and he had blurry vision so he came in thinking it was "just pink-eye." He had to walk out of our office with the realization that he may never see out of the eye again w/o a corneal transplant in the future. It will heal but it will heal with scar tissue. I can not stress the importance of safety glasses. He and I spoke about our passion for woodworking and his injury and he just kept saying "I knew better." We all know better but it is a neglected task. It takes less than a second to put them on. Ophthalmic glasses, or everyday eyeglasses are better than nothing but you need side shields on them. Please guys and galls, put on those safety glasses with side protection. I don't want to see you in my office.

Chris

[dicklaxt]

Well put pal and very true............I have learned to stop and think when it doesn't feel right and learned years ago after being blind for 4 days following an accident caused by another,Its not just the operator but the bystander that is in danger,protect yourselves and those around you.

dick

[WoodMangler]

Thanks Chris... always good to remind us of what we so easily can forget or get lazy about....

As a side note, are there reading glasses available that will help cut down on eye fatigue due to staring at a computer screen all day?

I'm now at a job that requires me to use a computer all day, then I get home and use the computer again! I use 1.75 reading glasses, and my eyes are sore and kinda dry feeling now....

Whaddya say Doc? :)

[OldGriz]

Mark.. I have 3 pairs of glasses... I have my regular everyday bifocals.. and I also had the eyedoc make a pair strictly for my computer work and another pair for my scrollsaw work.. they each have a slightly different prescription than the bifocal.. but boy do they make a difference, especially at the computer... I spend the better part of the day on the computer either working at my webdesign business or my scrollsaw pattern design business (that is when I am not conversing with this bunch of low lifes ... :) )....
The computer and scrolling glasses are not bifocal.. just a full glass with the proper grind for that particular type of work..

[deathwish2]

Marc--

Having sat in front of a CRT of some sort daily since the early 80's (not to mention all that TV as a kid) . . . you should get your eyes checked out by an optometrist (or better than that and opthamologist, an M.D. of the eyes) and get yourself a proper pair of prescription glasses. You [/i]may[/i] need an astigmatic correction that the of-the-shelf glasses cannot help.

For sitting at a tube, look into the anti-reflective/anti-glare coatings. In addition to making the lenses near invisible to someone looking at you, there is nearly NO glare coming into the back of the lens from behind you. If you've ever worn glasses while driving at night or cheap sunglasses driving on a sunny day, you've seen this effect exaggerated by either passing cars headlights or the mighty sun itself. The only downside to the AR coatings are they can be a pain to clean, and will show fingerprints. In addition to that, a slight tint can be helpful as well, but I have not put a tint on my glassses in about 10 years, and have had no issues with it.

FWIW, the best place I've found to get glasses is Costco . . . they send everything out to a central lab, and are ready in 1-2 weeks. I've had their work checked out by my opthamologist, and it's top notch . . . he told me with all the computerized lens griding these days, it's hard to screw them up unless they punch in the wrong number ;) . I've paid as much as $99 for the AR coating alone, at Costco it's only $25, and single vision lenses are $20. Combine those with a moderately priced frame and you're in business for under $100. If your insurance doesn't cover you for them, check and see if you have a discount through work, or better yet, I'm sure Geico has a flexible spending plan . . . you can buy your glasses with pre-tax earnings that way. :7

[cma0002]

Marc,

Mark is correct. Go see an OD (Optometrist) or MD (Ophthalmologist) and have them check out your eyes. Sit in front of your computer and measure from the tip of your nose to the computer screen from where you normally sit. Give that measurement to the Dr and he'll prescribe you glasses that will be focused for that distance. Or if you are one of the lucky few he'll tell you what power in over the counter reading glasses you need. About CVS (computer vision syndrone-dry eyes, tired, sore,etc-we have a name for everything), make sure all of your glasses are anti-reflective coated. Does add some to the price but well worth it. No experience with Costco since there is not one locally but I can vouch for Target, JC Penney, or Sear's to get them reasonably priced. Just make sure to get them AR coated.

Chris

[randall]

Sounds bad!

I know a number of years ago I was working along a fence line doing somthing like fixing the fence or pulling weeds or something, and the shrub like bushes that grew there had these sharp needle-like deals on their leaves maybe 1/2" long.

I leaned over and one of the dang things felt like it stuck me in the eye or if not- at least visibly scratched it as I could see in the mirror, and wow that was painful and very uncomfortable for a few days as just blinking or closing the lids felt like ground glass in there.

It healed up just fine with no problem at all, but the scratch wasn't in the visual field either.
Was lucky there! I'm 44 and don't need glasses or contacts:)

I see these KIDS wearing glasses and can't help but wonder about the genetics producing poor eyes in many kids today it seems.

[MorePowerMatt]

MarC,

I'd pass on the anti-reflective coating. It wears off after a short time, and makes maintenance (cleaning, etc) a pain in the a$$. For cpomputer glasses, I'd ask the doc to recommend a tint of some kind instead of an AR coating.

EDIT: MarC, if you're planning on making frequent stage or TV appearances, the AR is a good idea. Otherwise, I'd consider somthing else.

Randall,

It's not so much a question of mutation it is the genetics that were there to begin with. I know of a number of teens and twenty-year olds with 20/20 or 20/15 eyesight. If you're 44 and don't need bifocals, you're pretty lucky. If you don't need anything at all, that's even more rare. My dad at age 55 has everything wrong with his eyes except nerve damage, glaucoma, and cataracts. My mom was a spring chicken at 40 or so when she needed her first set of bifocals. I also went to college with a guy who had cataract removals on both eyes at 22.

Everyone,

All lenses come scratch-coated from the factory. They'll try to sell you a scratch coating that comes with a warranty, but getting them to honor the warranty most likely will need Randall's diligence and ferocity. :D



Matt

Co-president of the Anti-Nanny Filter League.

[Darrin O]

I am diligent about wearing my safety glasses. I even got a pair for my four year old to wear if she happens into the shop or is outside when we're mowing or using the weed eater.

When i tood a ww class a lady in the class was 'nibbling' little corners out of some wood on a table saw at home. One of the pieces vibrated into the blade and shot out, hitting her in the eye. She was wearing her regular eyeglasses which were knocked from her face and removed a lens in the process. When she showed up to class that night she had a NASTY shiner, as well as blood all over her sclera (the white part of the eye). She ended up going to the ER that night to make sure it wasnt more damaged.

Darrin
"Ever notice how good enough, is usually neither good nor enough?"

[cma0002]

Actually the AR coating is now hard coated to be nearly as scratch free as a standard hard coated lens. All research on the addition of a tint does not affect CVS. There are tints out there that claim to reduce glare but research does not support this like AR coating. If you buy an anti_glare monitor cover it is nothing but AR coated glass and most of the newer monitors are already AR coated. You can not use any ammonia product on AR or it will degrade the coating. Any reputable optical business will cover an AR coated product for at least 1 yr but most are now going to 2. Matt is correct in that all Polycarbonate and high index lenses are already scratch coated but if you do a standard plastic lens it is not. I strongly recommend polycarbonate lenses to everyone anyway due to the impact resistance.

The increase in children wearing glasses is due to the diligence of OD's, MD's, and Optician's educating the school systems and parents of the importance of eye exams. Here in Alabama most school systems screen every child in Elementary school. There are bills that are trying to be passed that would mandate an eye exam before a child starts K or 1st grade.

Get the AR on any glasses that you do. It will make a difference in night driving and computer use. If it scratches, take it back and make them replace it.

Chris