A common complaint, “these safety glasses hurt my eyes” frustrates many workers and safety professionals. Related claims include those involving poor vision, headaches, pinched noses, and ear pain while wearing protective eyewear.
These frustrations come from both the discomfort and the resulting non-compliance with safety policy. Let’s get at the root of the issue by exploring common causes as well as some solutions.
Common Causes for Safety Glasses Discomfort:
- Improper fit: Safety glasses should be secure but not so tight they cause pain. Since every face is unique, one style and size of safety glasses will not fit every worker. Fortunately, most safety eyewear retailers offer a variety of styles and sizes. Safety glasses designed for larger faces and women have become very popular. Having multiple styles and sizes of eyewear available ensures every worker has a proper fit.
- Lens color: Each lens color has its strengths and weaknesses. The wrong lens shade can cause eye strain or fatigue from glare or bright lights. Assess each situation – both person and place – to decide which lens tint offers the best vision. Retailers of protective eyewear are experts in this area and can help find the correct lens color.
- Improper use: Safety glasses pushed up on the forehead or worn in any way other than how they’re intended can cause pressure that results in pain and discomfort. Since improper use often stems from poor fitting eyewear, consider improper use as a red flag. Take time to inspect and assess eyewear and change styles if necessary.
More Reasons Safety Glasses May Hurt Your Eyes
- Improper care: Not taking care of safety glasses leads to a host of problems that can cause pain and discomfort. Dirty or scratched lenses strain eyes. Bent or broken frames cause poor fit and uncomfortable pressure. Taking care of safety glasses helps ensure proper fit and optimum vision for the long term.
- Poor condition: Whether caused by improper care, damage or age, safety glasses that are in bad shape can be uncomfortable. Scratched lenses may also cause inferior vision or eye strain. No matter the quality, all eyewear must be replaced eventually. Performing regular checks of safety eyewear ensures workers always have the best safety glasses for the situation.
- Situational fit: The variety of safety eyewear on the market exists because different people and situations call for different safety eyewear. In other words, a single pair of safety glasses doesn’t work for every person and situation. General-use safety glasses work fine, but lenses sometimes require switching due to varying light conditions, which makes convertible safety glasses ideal. Other times, changing factors like air flow or humidity requires having more than one pair of safety glasses.
- Poor quality: Budget safety glasses are more than adequate for infrequent use. However, for individuals who wear safety glasses all day every day, quality is crucial for avoiding discomfort. Investing in quality safety glasses and taking the time to find the best fit can eliminate many problems. Quality eyewear that’s comfortable is critical for anyone who wears safety glasses for long periods time.
- Excessive glare: Reducing Glare as a Workplace Hazard is essential for eliminating problems with eye strain and poor vision. Glare can lead to problems with headaches and neck & shoulder tension as well.
- Eye strain and fatigue: There are many sources of eye strain and fatigue. Excessive glare, improper fit, and poor lens condition are common examples. Fatigue and eye strain lead to headaches and poor vision. Plus, they can result in neck and back pain as workers adjust posture to remedy the situation. Assessing each employee’s situation based on all the factors in this list can help reduce and likely eliminate most problems.
And Here Are A Few More Reasons:
- Prescription: For those wearing prescription eyewear, glasses or contacts, a wrong prescription can cause eye fatigue, headaches, and poor vision. Regular eye exams ensure prescriptions are always up-to-date and that corrective eyewear does not cause problems.
- Other gear: Protective gear like helmets and visors can add pressure to safety glasses worn underneath. Also, over-prescription safety glasses can add pressure to prescription eyewear and lead to pain and discomfort. Experimenting with different combinations of safety gear will help workers find the most comfortable combination.
- Photophobia: Sensitivity to light varies from one person to the next. What feels comfortable for one person causes eyestrain leading to headaches for another. Solutions to the problem of photophobia include modifications to a person’s workspace and tinted lenses.
- Lack of use: Workers who wear safety glasses periodically, may experience “hot spots” and discomfort from extended wear. Either find safety glasses with a better fit, or wear safety glasses more frequently to become better acclimated to them.
- Work environment: If the above remedies fail to bring relief, it’s possible the workplace environment may be causing dry eyes, allergies, or another health problem. A visit to the doctor or even a change in safety glasses to ones that better control airflow, foam-padded safety glasses for example, are options to consider if the work environment seems to be the culprit for eye pain or discomfort.
- Health concerns: When all other areas have been assessed as detailed above, it’s time to consider that a more serious eye or other health issues may be causing the discomfort. If seeing an eye doctor fails to produce a solution, pay a visit to a family physician to investigate the problem at a deeper level.
Finding the Root Cause Is Important
Individually assessing every complaint and finding the root-cause will reduce worker complaints and increase compliance. A one-size-fits-all approach is just not possible, and a variety of solutions is needed to address the unique issues for each person.
With time and persistence, all employees can wear safety glasses comfortably. Every person can enjoy better eye protection, and companies can feel confident in compliance with safety eyewear policies.
What do you recommend for a 10 hr. shift with different lighting in every area. Comfortable, clear, anti fog and anti glare.
Something that doesn’t hurt the eyes or give headaches
Hi Maria,
Thank you for submitting a question.
Bolle makes a CSP (Comfort Sensitivity Perception) lens that’s a practical solution for all activities that alternate exposure between bright light and low light, while also being suitable for extreme hot and cold temperature environments. We currently stock this particular lens in the Bolle Silium Plus and Bolle Rush Plus models. We’ve had positive feedback from customers who have used the CSP lens and are light sensitive.
When forced to wear eye protection for 10 hours a day within the construction industry. What effect has this over a period of time on eye sight.
Hi Paul,
Thanks for submitting your question.
According to Dr. Gary Heiting, OD of All About Vision, “there is no scientific evidence that suggests wearing safety glasses damages your eyesight.”
While safety glasses themselves do not damage vision, there are reasons they may be the source of problems such as headaches and eye fatigue. Don’t let these annoyances discourage you from wearing eye protection. If wearing safety glasses causes you discomfort there may be an easy solution for eliminating the problem. You may need to experiment with several different brands/styles and lens colors to find the appropriate safety eyewear.
Hi I’m forced to wear eye protection all day but my concern is that the environment I work in leaves a dirty film on the lenses therefore having to keep them clean all the time, my eyes have detierotated over the last six months While ’wearing the glasses
Adrian,
Do you mean your vision has deteriorated, or is there actual breakdown of your eyes themselves? In either case, I would seek professional medical advice as soon as possible. That said, if you are spending much of your time looking through blurry lenses, it’s not entirely shocking that your vision is not what it used to be. Your eyes are continually focusing in their environment. An inability to focus due to clouded lenses may (it’s plausible) cause strain and/or your eyes to begin changing shape in an effort to focus. It’s possible that your eyes recognize the goo on your lenses and, like an auto-focusing camera, may try to focus on the nearest object. It’s plausible, then, that your eyes could develop “near work” Myopia.
At the very least, I would invest in some eye protection that has an oleophobic and hydrophobic coating on the lenses. This repels oils and oil-based debris as well as water and moisture. At worst, cleaning them should be much faster and easier. One example of this is the Elvex Pacaya. Also, Oakley “Iridium” lenses are said to offer similar resistance.
Hi. I have been saying this for years. Same as last comment. Wearing safety glasses. 12 hour At a time damages. My eyesight. Also they are a hazard as they affect your perifaral vision and you are much more likely to trip and stumbal.. I think research into harm done by wearing safety glasses. All day every day is not very well researched. Probably as it is done by the company’s selling. Safety glasses. Also the people insisting others wear them for all a 12 hr shift. Probably only wear them 1 hr a day and are not doing any strenuous work or likely to break a sweat..
Thomas, prolonged use of eyewear does not come without its potential drawbacks, but it is better than the alternative. There are over 10,000 eye injuries per day, and most are preventable with proper eye protection. It is good that we have something available to help keep us safer, and designs and technologies have improved by leaps and bounds just in the last 15 years.
I sweat all the time and my safety glasses become fogged up causing many other injuries because my vision becomes impaired, it is absolutely stupid for a company to force this upon me
Hello, Brent. We can empathize with you. Surely you have brought your concerns to your employer and requested better anti-fog eyewear, correct? I recommend browsing our selection of anti-fog safety glasses, and make sure your employer understands the hazards and are providing a safer solution like this. Also, anti-fog sprays are available.
A lot of safety glasses have a slight magnification to them ,why?
Could this be the cause of people’s eyes deteriorating?
You wouldn’t wear someone else’s prescription glasses.
Thank you for your comment, Garry.
Actually, your statement is not valid. Safety glasses do not have a slight magnification to them, and there is no scientific evidence that supports eye deterioration from wearing safety glasses. With that said, there is an observable difference in optical quality depending on the brand and style worn. There are plenty of styles on the market that feature high optical quality lenses for under $10 retail.
If you’re experiencing eye discomfort when wearing safety glasses, I highly recommend you schedule a visit with an optician for an eye examination.
I am in agreement with you. A nail in your eye would also deteriorate your vision. Do you have a source? I have a co-worker that is convinced safety glasses will deteriorate your eye.
Thank you for your question, K.
The short answer is ANSI Z87.1-2015 certified safety glasses must pass the optical quality test listed in section 9.1. of the ANSI/ISEA Z87.1-2010 standards. And section 9.1.2 says “The apparatus and procedures specified in Z80.1-2005 American National Standard for Ophthalmics – Prescription Ophthalmic Lenses – Recommendations shall be used to determine the lens’s optical quality.”
Your co-worker may have had a bad experience with a defective pair of safety glasses. Or they are hypersensitive to wearing eyewear. However, wearing ANSI Z87.1 certified protective eyewear will not damage their eyes.
I would like to say that “companies” are not forcing these safety rules on you. OSHA is the regulatory body mandating these safety rules in the workplace. https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/eyefaceprotection/ goes into further detail.
On another point, I would like to emphasize what Mr. Jeff and Mr. Michael are stating, anything you put on your body will not “feel” right and may hinder you. These are the best engineered safety devices we have to protect ourselves, short of not going to work. Compare it to breaking in a new pair of shoes, if you don’t like the shoes, I would like to think you would purchase a different type / manufacturer.
Lastly, it is much easier to endure a few hours worth of discomfort to a lifetime of disability, which could mean being blind.
Thank you for your comment, Stephen.
I agree with your statement about trying different brands and styles of eyewear if you experience discomfort. One brand/style doesn’t work for everyone.
I have sever photophobia and need safety glasses that will help and not fog up. Can you recommend some?
Thank you for your question, Andrew.
I would recommend the following styles because they feature Dark Gray, Anti-Fog lenses.
I had to wear a pair of cheap safety glasses for the last hour and a half of my shift, and since removing the glasses, my right eye has felt strained. Is 2 hours long enough to cause long term damage? Or will my eye go back to normal?
Thank you for your question, Austin. In my experience, there is no evidence wearing cheap safety glasses will damage your eyesight. With that being said, some people are more sensitive to optical quality than others, which causes eye fatigue. In those cases, I recommend purchasing safety eyewear with higher quality optics. Many brands offer both budget and higher quality eyewear. In my experience, both Pyramex and Bolle provide excellent optics on their midrange and above styles, usually in the $4 to $15 price range.