Collection: Safety Glasses

Safety glasses are different than other types of eyewear in the way they are designed, the materials they are made from and the testing protocols they are put through to carry an ANSI Z87+ rating. The lenses of safety glasses, including Edge's collection, are constructed from shatter-resistant polycarbonate to keep harmful airborne debris or other hazards from hitting your eyes. And the frames of safety glasses must be able to stand up against high-velocity impacts without letting go of their hold on the lenses, or otherwise falling apart. Non-safety-rated glasses and sunglasses can fall apart, or their lenses can even shatter, when impacted with a foreign object. Such impacts can be commonplace on construction sites, manufacturing facilities, auto repair and machine shops and many other industrial facilities. But eye threats even lurk at home during routine tasks. Have you ever had a rock whiz past your head while weed eating your lawn? Or a nail launch away from a wood project? In fact, many of the eye injuries that occur in the US each year happen at home--not on jobsites.

Whether you’re at work or at home, hazards to your eyesight are ever present. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that 63% of the 10,000 eye injuries that happen every day in North America happen at home or during recreational activities. Of the 10,000 daily eye injuries, approximately 2,000 require medical treatment. These statistics only underscore the importance of wearing impact-resistant eye protection. When a piece of debris comes flying off your garage project, or a drop of oil or paint falls toward your face, or a tool slips off a fastener and comes for your eye, or any other number of daily hazards strike, you want to know your eyesight is safe behind a pair of ANSI Z87.1-rated glasses. The problem is, you never know exactly when you’ll need to wear impact-resistant glasses. But that’s the hint to the question of why it’s so important to wear safety glasses. It’s important to wear safety glasses because you never know when the unexpected will happen; and you don’t want to be another eye-injury statistic. Plus, protecting your eyes from harmful UV rays is critical to avoid macular degeneration and other similar vision-impairing disorders (just make sure your safety glasses block at least 99% of UVA, UVB and UVC rays).    

ANSI Z87-rated safety glasses are designed, manufactured and tested to provide protection from high-velocity impacts. The Z87 standards are written by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to ensure all eyewear stamped with a "Z87" or "Z87+" mark are designed to protect vision in dangerous environments.

In order to meet ANSI’s Z87.1 or Z87.1+ requirements, safety glasses need to be able to withstand high-velocity impacts that replicate those that may be experienced by projectiles on a jobsite or while doing projects at home. The best type of material for this task is polycarbonate. This compound is lightweight and resists impacts. In short, polycarbonate is a perfect material for safety glass lenses–and it’s all Edge uses in its lineup of protective eyewear.

Polarized lenses help filter harsh reflection and cut down on glare. Safety glasses protect your eyes from projectiles and airborne debris with tested and certified impact resistance. Now, mix glare-blocking polarized lenses with shatter-resistant safety glasses. Voila! A magical product that both keeps your day free from glare and can save your eyesight in case of the unexpected. And Edge pioneered polarized safety glasses. We were the first to bring the light-filtering power of polarized lenses to the safety glass market. Whether you’re working around concrete, on a roof, banging tin or near other highly-reflective materials, polarized safety glasses can keep you safe from the sun’s harsh rays and any accidents. Plus, we offer our permanent anti-fog technology in a select number of our polarized safety glasses.     

Ultraviolet radiation (UV) comes from the sun and artificial light sources (including, importantly, halogen lights commonly used on jobsites) and can damage your eyes. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, UV light can cause corneal damage, cataracts and macular degeneration–all of which lead to vision loss. We all know how important it is to use sunscreen or wear long sleeves to protect ourselves from the sun’s damage to skin (which can lead to certain cancers), but it’s just as critical to defend our eyes. Make sure to choose safety glasses that block at least 99% of UVA, UVB and UVC radiation. Whether you’re working indoors or out, these UV-blocking glasses can help preserve your eyesight and, ultimately, provide a cooling relief for your eyes.