Winter Eye Challenges

Winter poses unique challenges when wearing safety goggles. However, knowing what features to look for will help you make the right choice.

In some areas, colder winter temperatures mean significant adjustments for those who stay outdoors for long periods. Coats, hats, gloves, boots, and insulating layers help block wind and keep the body warm, but we also need to pay special attention to our eyes.

Exposure to cold temperatures, wind, and snow glare pose unique challenges to eye safety during winter. Injuries from winter hazards can cause these and other eye problems:

  • Eye pain
  • Blurred or decreased vision
  • Light sensitivity
  • Vision loss

Protecting your eyes in the winter is essential. However, it’s also easily overlooked.

When More Is Better

When it comes to protecting your eyes in the winter, it’s hard to beat goggles. Not only do they provide outstanding eye protection from the wind and flying particles, but they also offer extra face coverage.

However, make sure you select a goggle designed for use in cold conditions. The average “lab goggle” will become rigid and uncomfortable to wear for prolonged periods in the cold. They’re also prone to excessive lens fogging.

Snowblowing with Goggles

Goggles designed for prolonged winter wear have features similar to ski goggles. Those features include soft, dense foam around the face, dual-pane lenses, and wide, comfortable headbands. Making sure you use a goggle that is ANSI Z87.1-2015 certified for maximum impact protection is also essential.

4 Tips for Selecting Cold Weather Safety Goggles

With this general information in mind, consider these more specific tips for selecting cold weather safety goggles.

1. Anti-Fog Coating

Without a doubt, the biggest problem faced by eye protection in cold weather is lens fogging. The temperature variance between a worker’s face and the cold outside air causes lens condensation. Heavy exertion can exacerbate the situation since perspiration introduces additional moisture to the lens area.

Fogged lenses cause frustration due to blurred vision and frequently removing eyewear to clear lenses. Even worse, some individuals choose to not wear protective eyewear to avoid fighting lens fogging. Unfortunately, this leaves them dangerously exposed to eye injuries.

Anti-fog coatings are your first line of defense. They help reduce and delay the condensation that can build up on the interior of lenses. However, anti-fog coatings are not foolproof. Lenses still need to be wiped down occasionally to remove excess moisture.

When selecting safety eyewear with anti-fog coating, look for advanced coatings permanently bonded to lenses. These coatings offer better performance and last longer between repeated cleanings and lens wiping.

Capstone Goggles

Anti-Fog Spray can also be used. This is especially helpful on eyewear without anti-fog coating.

2. Lens Design

Another critical feature of anti-fog safety goggles is lens design. Dual-pane lenses are well suited for winter applications because they feature two lenses separated by an air chamber. The air between the two lens panes acts as an insulator that reduces condensation and thus fogging. Just like other winter eyewear, dual-pane lenses should be treated with an anti-fog coating to maximize their anti-fog performance.

3. Air Flow

Airflow is another technique used to reduce lens fogging. Air vents integrated into the goggle body allows warm, moist air to escape. This reduces moisture buildup on lenses.

Direct venting offers the best performance, but it can’t be used in all situations. Direct venting is not recommended in specific safety environments where liquid/chemical splash is a concern. Instead, select a goggle with indirect (hooded) vents or no vents.

Good airflow is a crucial feature for keeping lens fogging under control. In fact, it’s how the best anti-fog goggles keep their lenses fog free.

Snow Goggles

Consider a goggle with a built-in vent fan if you’re working in extreme conditions requiring the absolute maximum anti-fog performance. These goggles feature a variable-speed electric fan that exhausts the hot, humid air from inside the goggle before it has a chance to condensate on the lens.

Goggles with a built-in fan don’t come cheap. Most cost over $100 and are usually reserved for military and tactical applications where clear vision could mean the difference between life or death. However, Haber Vision offers several industrial goggles that integrate with their Eliminator Fan Module to provide maximum airflow and anti-fog performance.

4. UV Protection

Photokeratitis, a sunburn of the eye, shouldn’t be taken for granted. It can happen when someone is outside on a sunny winter day with the sun reflecting off a fresh blanket of snow and isn’t wearing proper eye protection.

The intensity of the sun’s glare bouncing off the snow can be overwhelming and uncomfortable. Plus, exposure to high levels of UV light can lead to macular degeneration, cataracts, and corneal sunburn.

Tinted polycarbonate lenses are the best way to combat this combination of sunlight and reflected UV exposure. However, standard lens tints such as gray, brown, or mirrored are suitable for most outdoor applications.

Keep Calm and Wear Your Eye Protection

There are many options available in anti-fog goggles. Here’s a list of recommended anti-fog goggles to help get you started on choosing the best ones for you.

With all of winter’s discomforts, unique challenges, and hazards, it’s easy to forget or even ignore eye protection. However, these suggestions will help keep your eyes safe during the cold winter months ahead.

Do you have any questions, comments, or suggestions about winter eye protection? Please post them in the comments section below.