Eye Protection

[kahlid74]

So I had something happen to me yesterday that was pretty scary and I guess I'm wondering what the other woodworkers here use for eye protection.  I use ear muffs with noise cancellation for ear protection.  I have a mask for dust protection and I have safety glasses for my eyes.  They are rated for wood working.

Routing yesterday a piece of wood, very small must have bounced off my check under my eye glasses and into my right eye.  I did my best to not rub it as I wondered upstairs and tried to hold it shut with my eye lid until I got my shot glass and did the eye blinking but the feeling was still there, like something was under my upper eyelid.  My wife came home and she tried to help me with saline solution but the feeling was still there.  I went to urgent care and they flipped my eye lid but found nothing.  She added die to my eye and found a corneal abrasion on the top of my eye.  Very small and very shallow.  It should heal in 3-7 days.

So yeah, makes me want to wear like snowboarding goggles now anytime I'm working on the router lol.  I always figured safety glasses were enough.  i wonder if I positioned my body/head in a place where lots of debris were aiming.  I'm still an amateur at wood working but I've been doing it for 8 years now and never had this issue.

[SavannahLion]

Yeah, I get that too sometimes.

Though they now have gone missing for nearly a month, I usually wear something that look like these. Note: it was just in appearance, not function. I purchased mine many years ago from a manufacturer that specifically made safety glasses for wood working and the like. I just can't remember who made them since I've now lost the glasses But like yours, they only protect from front, not side debris. If I'm going to work on something that I know is going to have a lot of ---steaming pile of meadow muffin--- flying around, then I switch to the more traditional full enclosed wrap-around glasses. I have one pair I kept since high school as a sort of reminder. I was working with a dremel ceramic blade when it exploded and bits of the ceramic imbedded itself in my skin, glasses, table and wall. At the time, I was more pissed about ruining a pair of glasses than my health. 

I usually keep several pairs, tinted and untinted for whatever it is I'm doing. Plus it makes things go faster when you're not trying to hunt down your favorite pair.

I avoid the ---smurfy--- "stylish" glasses that just have a straight arm over the ear, rather than a "hook". I'm flabbergasted these even pass OSHA or ANSI standards. When you're working in a hot environment handling some very dangerous power equipment, the last thing you need is for your glasses to slip off. Those stupid ridges don't help either, they just hurt your noggin after a few hours.

I don't always (actually rarely) wear ear protection any more. Not that I don't care about my hearing but working on a chainsaw never bothered me as much as my 12 year old whining.

I don't usually wear a face mask, though I admit I should.

[Unstupid]

Sometimes when I cut aluminimum or carbon fiber on our CNC machine I wear safety goggles.  It keeps the shavings or dust away from the eye completely....  These are the ones I use:
http://www.woodcraft.com/product/2020160/19668/fastcap-goggles.aspx

[Sparkolicious]

I have a horrible habit of not wearing anything.  I have yet to find a pair that don't fog up, and stop me from seeing as well as I like.  So far I have been pretty fortunate not to have had a problem, but it is always  a risk.

[walker_tr9]

I wear these:

http://www.safetyglassesusa.com/dpg82-11.html

I need the full goggles because I wear glasses too.  They have vents to keep it from fogging up.  But if you are in a humid area, they can still fog after a while if you are working hard and sweating (especially if you have a dust mask on too).  Usually, I use that as a reason to take a break.

[werdna]

I've done a fair bit of volunteering for the FTC robotics competition (hence the crazy hairdo in the photo below) and the participants are required to wear safety glasses.

When I was the judge advisor I made it a point to have the most 70's shop teacher looking safety glasses I could find.  Typically I'd use the line that no one would be looking at anyone else's safety glasses as I'd have the goofiest ones there.

Since I have them I've started wearing them whenever I work with tools.  To date I've had nothing get in my eyes tho several small missiles have been deflected.  Notice how low the lenses go, really tough to get under them.  And the side shields are very complete.  I believe these are made by Phillips Safety.



-Andrew

[Sparkolicious]

man I dig those specs!    I might actually wear something like that!

[ChadTower]

I had an eye injury a couple of years ago that left permanent damage.  It wasn't from flying debris but still... don't ---fudgesicle--- around with your eyes.  Just don't do it.  Don't do it.  Please, don't do it.  An eye injury is nothing like a broken leg.  It's scarier, more painful, and way easier to accomplish. 


Even if the prospect of screaming pain in your eyeball isn't going to convince you to wear goggles then consider this:


I can't see 3D movies/tv because of the damage to my left eye.   

[HaRuMaN]

I can't see 3D movies/tv

You're not missing out on anything.

[yaksplat]

I just picked these up last week:

http://www.lowes.com/pd_34873-48394-DPG54-1CTR_0__?productId=3648394

Cheap, and i forget that i'm wearing them since they're very light and extremely clear.

[kahlid74]

Thanks for all the replies!  I wound up getting these: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003U9VE94  I'm excited to see how well they work.  I'll come back to these boards after I test them out.

[ChadTower]

Nice!  That is $14 you will never regret spending.

[kahlid74]

So I used them a few times and they work quite well but I didn't really get a sweat going until yesterday.  They don't fog up but they do this weird thing where moisture accumulates on the sides.  So like your peripheral vision looks like your windshield with water on it but in front of you it's clear as day no fog.  So I'm pleased.  They work just as I had hoped.

[walker_tr9]

That is my experience with mine.