Work has implemented a mandatory safety glasses policy when on the shop floor. My current prescription glasses will not accept side shields, so I need to purchase a new pair of prescription safety glasses. I see a large variety of safety glasses companies online, has anyone had a good experience or bad experience with one? I do not want to spend a large amount of money on them, since I will still have my current glasses when not at work.
Prescription Safety Glasses source
- Thread starter duc916
- Start date
LopezBart
Well-known member
Check if your work will pay for them.... many employers do.
Discussion here recommends Zenni, for what it's worth.
Discussion here recommends Zenni, for what it's worth.
shakenfake
Well-known member
If your employer does not provide safety glasses that fit over your frames then they are legally required to pay for prescription frames.
I do not know what frames I have. I just ordered them 2 weeks ago and my company paid for them. Supposed to be here this week or next.
I do not know what frames I have. I just ordered them 2 weeks ago and my company paid for them. Supposed to be here this week or next.
Walmart.
cvairwerks
Well-known member
I converted over to strictly Z87 rated frames and lenses probably 20 years ago. Every pair of glasses I own will take side shields, including my sunglasses. Bought them all thru the glasses store at work. Last batch was 2 pair clear and 2 pair of sunglasses and my total cost was about 180$, even with all the add ons. Never have to worry about changing out when gong from work to street or vise versa.
readhead
Well-known member
When I still had my fab shop I was required to pay because it was considered PPE.
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dcg9381
Well-known member
Cite? Not arguing, but barking at the employer about a legal requirement without a reference to that requirement isn't a great idea.
I'm in a "right to work state" so you have to be careful about how much drama you want to create.
IMHO, "prescription" - the magic is in the prescription. The rest is just the engineering and other than "frame fit" I would think that one lens would be as good as the other if manufactured correctly. Costco has a great reputation here, but I dunno what will work with safety glasses.
I have a prescription for glasses. I can spend hundreds of dollars on frames and lenses or I can go down and buy .75 - 1.5x readers... But it's my near vision that has problems. I have safety glasses with bi-focals, under $30.
RTM
Well-known member
Around here we will kick people off site if their prescription glasses are not stamped z87 on the lens, side shield, and the frame. Had some contractor issues in the past.
My work pair were done through the company's local optometrist who ordered them from a big company called Safe Vision.
My home use pair are from Zenni, as noted above, around $100 w progressive prescription.
www.zennioptical.com
Think hard about which prescription you use based on what you do at work. If you are walking around in an observer role, your normal prescription may be fine. But if doing up close work where your readers are more appropriate, then get safety rated cheaters, you will be much more comfortable. Zenni also offers "computer" use glasses, designed for arms length work, reading a screen, which are great if you stare at the screen a lot.
My work pair were done through the company's local optometrist who ordered them from a big company called Safe Vision.
My home use pair are from Zenni, as noted above, around $100 w progressive prescription.
Safety Glasses | Zenni Optical
Stop worrying about flying debris and focus on what matters. Our safety glasses are your eyes' best friend, keeping them safe while looking good. See the difference, feel the security.
www.zennioptical.com
Think hard about which prescription you use based on what you do at work. If you are walking around in an observer role, your normal prescription may be fine. But if doing up close work where your readers are more appropriate, then get safety rated cheaters, you will be much more comfortable. Zenni also offers "computer" use glasses, designed for arms length work, reading a screen, which are great if you stare at the screen a lot.
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shakenfake
Well-known member
Let me re-iterate that if they are providing glasses that cover your prescription then they are not required pay for them.
rlitman
Well-known member
I recently purchased a set of safety glasses from Zenni (along with a spare pair of regular glasses). The Z87.1 ran me $106 with trivex single-prescription lenses (I find trivex to be a good step up from polycarbonate, having owned both over the years, and those are really your only two safety lens options on the market). I bought the metal frames with side shields (749211), and they're ok, but they're not premium frames that I'd expect to hold up to everyday use for long, and the stamped stainless temples leave you with no way to adjust the ear fit, so they're not all that comfortable. This particular frame doesn't sit too close to my eyebrows, so I don't get fogging, but that also means that without some coverage from above (like a hat or face shield), they'll let slow moving objects arc over the top and into my eyes. My favorite part is that they hold my clip on dental magnifiers better than any other frames I own (my day to day glasses are minimalist frameless and just can't carry that weight).
I bought mine to be shop glasses, and as such I decided to knock 0.75 off the sphere from each eye to be better for up-close work. I think I could still pass a DMV eye test with these on, but I didn't buy them to drive, and they're not really comfortable for distance. Anyway, it's a compromise I made for myself that I'm happy with.
If you do plan to go with Zenni, ask if you can get your interpupillary distance measurement when you get your prescription. That's usually a job for the optometrist, and while Zenni will say you can measure it yourself or have someone just hold up a ruler to your eyes, it's not that simple. Your eyes will naturally converge on what you're looking at, which means that your pupils will get a little closer together as you look at things close up. So, if you focus on that ruler, you'll be measuring the PD measurement at that really close up distance. At least if you have someone else looking at the ruler, you can try to focus on a distant object. Though if you're using these as close-up-work shop glasses like me, then the shorter PD may be fine. Just food for thought.
KSJeff
Well-known member
Your eye Dr will give you your current prescription if you ask for it. They give me mine every year automatically. It will have your prescription as well as your PD (pupilary distance). Zenni Optical are a good cheap choice - I have several pair from there. If you have a health Flex spending account, you can use those funds. Good luck.
Eye docs don't necessarily provide the PD automatically. Mine regards that as an optician service and charges a fee unless you buy glasses from them. I've had mine on file for years for both distance and closeup, so I don't worry about it.
KSJeff
Well-known member
PD is part of the prescription. If they don't give it to you, it's a violation of the FTC. They will absolutely give it to you.
Complying with the Eyeglass Rule
The Federal Trade Commission enforces the Eyeglass Rule. It requires eye doctors – ophthalmologists and optometrists – to give patients a copy of their prescription, whether they ask for it or not and before offering to sell eyeglasses. It’s the law. Here are questions and answers to help you...
Nice to know for the next visit in June. Thanks!PD is part of the prescription. If they don't give it to you, it's a violation of the FTC. They will absolutely give it to you.
Complying with the Eyeglass Rule
The Federal Trade Commission enforces the Eyeglass Rule. It requires eye doctors – ophthalmologists and optometrists – to give patients a copy of their prescription, whether they ask for it or not and before offering to sell eyeglasses. It’s the law. Here are questions and answers to help you...www.ftc.gov
KSJeff
Well-known member
I have heard of some places pushing back on the request, but if you press them they'll give it to you. If they don't, let them know you'll be reporting them to the FTC and then go report them to the FTC. The reason they are required to give you the prescription is so you can look other places for glasses. You can't do this if you don't have your PD.
My daughter is in this business and I will say that you can get better service from an optician than you can from ordering online. The optician will place your frame and mark the exact centerline of your vision and they will order the grind based on how the frames fit your face. This is obviously not available online. I generally buy my daily wear glasses from my eye doc every two years and I buy two or three pairs from Zenni every year to keep around in the shop/in vehicles/in the garage. My uncorrected vision is fine for driving and general daily operation so I don't always have a pair on my head. My optician glasses are better, but not by much. My daughter has measured Zenni glass and they have been correct for the prescription.
As always, YMMV and this is not medical advice.
rlitman
Well-known member
That link doesn't work for me. For whatever reason, the FTC guidance pages are giving me a 403 forbidden. However, the actual regulation is easily found, and refutes your statement:PD is part of the prescription. If they don't give it to you, it's a violation of the FTC. They will absolutely give it to you.
Complying with the Eyeglass Rule
The Federal Trade Commission enforces the Eyeglass Rule. It requires eye doctors – ophthalmologists and optometrists – to give patients a copy of their prescription, whether they ask for it or not and before offering to sell eyeglasses. It’s the law. Here are questions and answers to help you...
Regulations.gov
www.regulations.gov
The purpose of the Rule's “prescription” definition is to effectuate the separation of the exam and the sale of eyeglasses; it is not intended to preempt state regulations that determine what must be included in a prescription. (347) A review of current state laws demonstrates that only four states require the inclusion of pupillary distance in a prescription (348).
...
the Commission is not convinced that there is adequate evidence in the current rulemaking record to determine that the failure to provide a pupillary distance on a prescription is an unfair practice. (393) The Commission therefore does not propose requiring prescribers to include the pupillary distance measurement on prescriptions.
...
(348) Alaska Admin. Code ***. 12, § 48.920; Kan. Admin. Regs. § 65-8-4; 246 Mass. Code Regs. § 3.02; N.M. Stat. Ann. § 61-2-10.3. Arizona once required pupillary distance on prescriptions, but that requirement was removed. Ariz. Admin. Code § R4-21-306 (amended by final rulemaking at 22 Ariz. Admin. Reg. 328, eff. Mar. 28, 2016).
KSJeff
Well-known member
It certainly does. It's always been on my prescription card. I guess you have to be careful where you do business.
Looks like if you need it, you have to go to zenni optical and hold a credit card against your head. My prescription PD is 65 and they agreed.
RTM
Well-known member
My PD, as I measured alone, verified by my wife the next day, and as given by my optician, all agreed. Wasn’t that hard, got to put that Starrett rule to good use, just to bring us back to tools.
Your optometrist is required by federal regulation to give you your prescription. (You aren't supposed to have to ask for it. They're required to give it to you, even if you don't want it.) But the PD isn't part of the prescription, and optometrists don't usually measure it, because it's really a fitting information, in the same vein as the length of the arms of the ear pieces.
My daughter is in this business and I will say that you can get better service from an optician than you can from ordering online. The optician will place your frame and mark the exact centerline of your vision and they will order the grind based on how the frames fit your face. This is obviously not available online. I generally buy my daily wear glasses from my eye doc every two years and I buy two or three pairs from Zenni every year to keep around in the shop/in vehicles/in the garage. My uncorrected vision is fine for driving and general daily operation so I don't always have a pair on my head. My optician glasses are better, but not by much. My daughter has measured Zenni glass and they have been correct for the prescription.
As always, YMMV and this is not medical advice.
It very much depends on the optician. The guy I used to get glasses from was great. Once you picked a frame, he fit it to your face, and then marked the optical centers on the display lenses in the frame, and could make adjustments based on the fit. Sadly, he retired. I've gotten glasses elsewhere with improper PD, the wrong vertical center, all sorts of **** mistakes (like the sphere being right, but the cylinder swapped from side ot side.) I'm sure all the online places are using computer driven grinding and edging, and dont' make those kind of mistakes (you can do it for them, of course). Of course, they can't fit a frame to your face, and correct for the prisim of the fit, etc. I don't think I'd trust them for progressives or something complicated, but I've had good luck with single vision.
I would suggest looking for some safety glasses that fit over your prescription glasses or go see your eye doc and inquire about some prescription safety glasses.
RTM
Well-known member
There are only two styles of these
1 - scratched so much you can't see through them
2 - squeeze your head so tight you get a headache.
Having observed this over the past 40+ years, I never suggest this as a first choice for someone who will wear them daily. For a ten minute visit, this is OK. For a user / worker, not so much. As I work in an industry where I visit manufacturing sites, I carry my prescription lenses when I travel for work, just in case.
I have a few pairs of these monsters here at the house for loaners, but won't wear them myself.
OP states they are needed when on the shop floor. This tells me he doesn't work on the shop floor and probably more in the office area.
Scratched up ? You need to take care of your eyeware. We're not talking something out of the "visitor" box.
Some of the over glasses are huge and might be uncomfortable but if they provide a temp solution for the OP for a little out of pocket, it's worth his time to check it out.
A quick search turned up these UVEX from Amazon. I've worn UVEX brand before, decent safety glasses.
NWOhioChevyGuy
Well-known member
I ordered my last set from Zenni
www.zennioptical.com
Safety Glasses | Zenni Optical
Stop worrying about flying debris and focus on what matters. Our safety glasses are your eyes' best friend, keeping them safe while looking good. See the difference, feel the security.
www.zennioptical.com