Safety glasses, particularly certified prescription safety glasses can be expensive and it can be incredibly frustrating to try and look through lenses that are covered in scratches.  I know how the scratches can occur, by just rubbing the lenses on your sleeve or clothing as they are covered in dust or debris and you can’t see.  I have done the same thing recently sanding back house paint.  I ended up wondering how plasterers can see out of their goggles?  Do they regularly vacuum them?  If you know please let me know and I will pass the tips on.

Best practice for cleaning your lenses includes using clean running water and then rubbing them with a clean cloth.  This isn’t always practical if you are on a site without water or deep underground and your sleeve is all the cloth that is available and it isn’t necessarily clean.  But when the option is that or not being able to see – which is ofcourse very dangerous, then most will chose the sleeve or dubious cleanliness.

Another option that might be of interest is using pre-moistened towelettes. They come pre-packaged and are tiny so they could be stashed in pockets/toolbox or esky to be ready when needed.  Bolle and Uvex have products available.  Both even have cleaning stations that you can set up onsite.  But I know that also isn’t always practical.

Another option that might improve the longevity of your prescription lenses is having a shield that sits in front of them.  There are a couple of Eyres certified prescription models that have the option of having clear or tinted shields that fit on the front.  This is also an inexpensive way of upgrading your clear safety glasses to be polarised sunglasses or just sunglasses.  The clear shields start at approximately $20 which is very cheap when compared to the cost of replacing your prescription safety glasses.  As a side note – no we can not just change your prescription safety lenses into your own frame.  None of the safety labs will perform this service due to liability issues.