Reprinted from the ACJ - December, 1994
Your eyes are like limpid pools. They are the window to your soul. I only have eyes for you. But when we make eye contact, it seems you give me the evil eye. Like an eye in the sky, keeping an eye on me. A hairy eyeball. Those beady little eyes, piercing eyes, bloodshot eyes, constantly giving me the eye. Then sometimes you gaze at me with those doe eyes, those bedroom eyes. Angel eyes that mask the truth. Like the blind leading the blind. You look right through me. Believe me, I have an eye for these type of things.
Guess what this month's Health Watch is about? Righty-O, it's about bad romance novels and the goofballs who write them. Or, we could talk about visual safety and protection. Let's vote… The aye's have it. Let's see what threatens to take away our eyesight and how to protect ourselves from such treachery.
IDENTIFYING THE HAZARDS
The hazards associated with causing eye injury can be split into two basic categories: chemical and physical.
The chemicals we worry about are corrosives, acids and bases. The physical agents of misfortune are flying bits of rust, grinding wheel particles, metal slivers, sand blasting media and weld splatter. These flying bits of debris are something with which we are all familiar. We get things in our eyes constantly, usually with no major problem, but foreign bits of matter will cause irritation and can cause permanent damage if not removed in a timely fashion.
Corrosive chemicals and some solvents not only irritate but can cause scarring of the eye's surface, the cornea. This scarring may cause blurred or cloudy vision and can be permanent. Unlike the skin that covers your body, your eyes don't heal as effectively, so even minor damage can yield lifelong problems.
If any chemical gets splashed in your eyes, run lukewarm water from an eye wash into them for 15 minutes and then see a doctor just to be sure. The same is true for bits of debris that don't wash out immediately. You only have two eyes, so have one eye keep an eye on the other eye. Aye, Aye?
GLASSES, GOGGLES, SHIELDS
Eye protection comes in a myriad of shapes and sizes but three main types come to mind: glasses, goggles and face shields. To suit our vanity, safety glasses are available in as many styles as regular glasses. Prescription lenses can also be made out of safety glass material.
For the best protection, get a pair with side shields and brow guards. These will help keep debris from flying in from the sides or dropping down off our forehead.
Use goggles when pouring or mixing liquids. Whenever a chemical can splash, it is best to wear goggles. They also can be worn over prescription glasses that aren't safety rated.
Goggles should have vents on them to provide air flow and to keep them from fogging up. These vents can be direct or indirect.
DIRECT VS. INDIRECT
Direct vents are normally open slits or a series of holes to allow easy air flow, but do nothing to stop liquids. These are useful for flying debris and dusts, but for liquid handling you will want goggles with indirect venting. These vents are like the cap on your chimney at home. They allow air flow, but keep liquids (rain at home and caustic or acid in our shop example) from splashing in.
Face shields are very useful for blocking airborne projectiles and can help stop chemical splashes from reaching our face and eyes. But they are not considered a primary eye safety device and should be worn over a pair of glasses or goggles. You didn't think something as easy as a face shield would solve our problems did you? No, no, you must suffer for your art.
Welding glasses are safety glasses that are shaded to avoid glare injuries to your eyes from the welding arc or cutting flame. They provide excellent protection and give you that Roy Orbison look so you can hum "Pretty Woman" while you work.
SPREADING OUT THE FORCE
The lenses of safety glasses, goggles and face shields can be made of several substances. Acetate and propionate are common, but far and away polycarbonate lenses are most common. Unlike regular lenses, safety lenses are relatively soft. This allows the impact of a flying object to be spread out and the force absorbed.
Just for fun, take a nail and drive it into a safety glass lens. (Dave's Helpful Hint No. 1: Take the glasses off first.) You can see how the material is pushed out of the way of the nail rather than shattering. Impressive isn't it? (Dave's Helpful Hint No. 2: Get a new pair of glasses before going back to work.)
When picking out a pair of safety glasses, goggles or a face shield, it is important to pick a pair with a wide field of vision. Also make sure they are comfortable, because you have to wear them all day.
THE MARK OF COMPLIANCE
To ensure safety compliance, the glasses should be certified to ANZI Z87.1-1989 standards. Proof of certification will be stamped on the frame itself, usually on the temple bar. Also, all safety lenses have a permanent mark on the lens itself. It is usually a letter or the manufacturer's logo and it should be pressed into the lens along an edge.
If your glasses don't have these marks of compliance, look into it, see if you can find a pair that does, and eyeball the catalogs for a bargain price. Now if everyone is done rolling their eyes at that last pun, let's look ahead.
The necessity of safety eyewear as well as the desire for comfort and style result in the availability of numerous vision safety extras. Not only do frames come in many colors, but so do the vent caps on goggles. Necklaces are also available for hanging your glasses from your neck when not in use.
Most safety lenses absorb about 99 percent of ultraviolet light, though they aren't that stylish on the beach. Normally the lenses have a "hard" coating on the surface to resist scratching. (Helpful Hint No. 3: A shop owner told me that soaking a pitted lens in white vinegar will bleach any discoloration and leave the lens clear, though still pitted. But if the pits are excessive replace them. Also, I found that the vinegar soaking did nothing to remove embedded nails.)
In my opinion, the most important extra is an antifog coating. Nothing is more frustrating than glasses that fog up just when you need to see clearly. An antifog solution is sold that can be rubbed on the lens as needed. Or, Helpful Hint No. 4: An old SCUBA diving trick is to spit on the lens, rub it around and wipe it off. This will keep them from fogging up. Helpful Hint No. 5: Use your own spit.
Remember to keep your glasses, goggles or face shield clean, and store them in a non-hazardous area when you aren't using them.
Well, I'm out of space for this vision quest, so remember the next time you come upon a situation where it's possible to "put someone's eye out," be sure to put on your fuchsia framed glasses, or goggles with lovely aqua vents dangling from a designer chartreuse necklace. Truly a sight for sore eyes. Then discuss the new information you have learned here.
When explaining, be sure to be clear and concise. Because as you know, a wink's as good as a nod to a blind horse.
The above article was written by David M. Brown, Chief Engineer of Johnson Manufacturing Company, Inc. and is published by JOHNSON with the expressed approval of the National Automotive Radiator Service Association and the Automotive Cooling Journal. Other reproduction or distribution of this information is forbidden without the written consent of JOHNSON and NARSA/ACJ. All rights reserved.
JOHNSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY
114 Lost Grove Road / PO Box 96 / Princeton, Iowa 52768-0096
Phone 563-289-5123 or Fax 563-289-3825