Your mom always said, “It’s all fun and games until someone loses an eye,” and she was right. Eye protection exists for a reason, and that reason is that our eyes are fragile, and eye injuries are common.
Even though Mom probably had you goggled up in glasses about two sizes too big for your head before you went outside for a Nerf gun fight, she had the right idea. And, her words ring true today. As an adult, you may or may not be engaging in many foam dart blaster wars, but there are still plenty of opportunities for you to proverbially shoot your eye out.
At Stoggles, we recognize the importance of eye protection just like your mom, but we also deeply appreciate the clean lines and sharp sophistication of a pair of perfectly fitted eyeglasses.
We’re on a mission to convey the message: You can be safe and stylish.
Why Can’t I Just Wear Regular Glasses?
Your sunglasses are comfortable, convenient, and sleek. It’s tempting to just wear those (or your favorite eyeglasses) when you know you probably need eye protection. The problem is: They won’t protect you from most types of impact, and the sides and tops of your glasses and sunglasses leave areas of your eyes vulnerable to dust, particles, spills, and splatters.
Eye Injuries Are Common
Even if you’ve never had an eye injury, you should know they’re incredibly common. It’s estimated that over 800,000 eye injuries occur in the U.S. each year. Nearly 36,000 of them require time off from work, hospital stays, or even permanent damage to your vision.
Eye Injuries Can Be Permanent
If you break your arm, your bone will heal. Injure your eye, and it might not. The retina (where the majority of our vision actually happens) is home to millions of retinal cells.
Retinal cells don’t regenerate, which means when they are injured, they don’t repair. Having an eye injury could mean total vision loss that is never again restored.
Eye Injuries are Incredibly Preventable
The good news is that most eye injuries are preventable simply by wearing protective safety glasses. In fact, research tells us that out of the 800,000 eye injuries per year, most could have been avoided if the individual had been wearing safety glasses or goggles.
Your vision is too important not to wear safety glasses, considering that eye injuries are so common.
Safety Glasses: Not Just For Work
If you’re on the job as a welder, construction worker, first responder, or doctor, you’re probably accustomed to wearing safety glasses because your employer requires them. However, you might not be wearing them at home, or at least not as often as you should.
Eye Injuries at Home
Of all eye injuries reported, more than half occur in the home. Your home doesn’t seem dangerous, but consider this:
- 25% of home-related eye injuries happened during gameplay or some kind of contact-related sport.
- Power tools, home repair, and improvement-related injuries account for another 25% of home-related eye injuries.
- The most popular place to get an eye injury at home? The yard or garden.
We aren’t saying you aren’t the consummate professional with your circular saw or hedge clippers, but statistics don’t lie; accidents happen. Even if you aren’t a home improvement superhero and have your lawn professionally maintained, there are still numerous times when you need to protect your eyes at home.
- Cleaning with chemicals
- Sports and games
- Home decorating and repair
If there’s an opportunity for your eyes to get hit, splattered, or dusted, you’ll want safety glasses. The last thing you want is to repeat the story of how you injured your eye by drilling holes for curtains.
Safety Glasses That Look Cool
If you’re convinced that you need safety glasses (and we really hope you are), the next logical thought is why must these specs be so hideous. In the realm of things that are considered hip and stylish, safety glasses are usually right up there with pocket protectors.
Relax, Stoggles offers protection without the stereotype.
Here’s what makes our safety glasses effective and edgy (while protecting you from sharp edges):
Top and Side Shields
Your regular glasses and sunglasses leave your eyes vulnerable in critical places. Above your eyebrow and on the sides of your eyes are places where debris could enter and injure your eye. Safety glasses protect your eyes in these areas by providing side and top shield coverage.
Unfortunately, that coverage isn’t always the most fashionable looking eyewear you can find, especially if your safety glasses are of the big box home store dollar bin variety. Stoggles side and top shields are made from the same material as the lenses and arms. The design is streamlined to be less noticeable while still remaining completely protective.
Impact Resistance
Safety glasses that aren’t impact resistant aren’t really safety glasses. For OSHA standards, safety glasses must meet ANSI Z78.1 certification for impact resistance.
There are two tests that help establish impact resistance:
- High mass impact testing. This test involves dropping a weighted ball bearing on the lens of the glasses to ensure they resist breaking or cracking.
- High-velocity impact testing. This test launches a ball bearing at 102 mph at the lens of a pair of safety glasses.
If a pair of safety glasses passes both tests, they’re ANSI Z78.1+ certified, and we’d argue, virtually indestructible. Sadly, this type of testing can lead a manufacturer to create glasses from thick, uncomfortable material.
But don’t worry; you won’t find that to be the case with Stoggles. Our glasses are made from polycarbonate and certified high mass and high-velocity resistant. That’s why you’ll see the ANSI Z78.1+ demarcation on all our glasses.
Lightweight Frame
Speaking of weight, you won’t wear a pair of safety glasses if they’re heavy, and many of them are (which obviously doesn’t add to their stylistic flair).
Stoggles are made from lightweight material that is incredibly comfortable. In fact, you’ll find our glasses feel like your favorite pair of shades and wear just as easily.
UV Protection
We talk a lot about how the sun can damage your vision. UV rays can damage your vision in the winter, causing snow blindness which may lead to temporary and even permanent eye damage. UV protection is crucial to protecting the sides of your eyes and the delicate skin that surrounds them.
Bottom line: UV protection is crucial to your eye health and safety, and your safety glasses should offer UV protection. Stoggles polycarbonate lenses are naturally 100% UV blocking, so you can keep your eyes safe no matter what your weekend plans may be.
Blue Light Blocking
Blue light isn’t a new phenomenon, although talking about it is definitely trending. Blue light is similar to UV light in that it’s a form of light that is characterized by short waves of high energy. This light is emitted mostly by the sun, but it’s also emitted from numerous other commonly used household and work-related devices.
Blue light sources include:
- Smartphones
- Tablets
- Computers
- LED light bulbs
- LED televisions
- Fluorescent light bulbs
- Compact fluorescent light bulbs
It’s pretty hard to hide from blue light, which is why protecting your eyes from it is necessary. We’ve only begun to scratch the surface of the effects of blue light on your eyes. We do know that blue light penetrates the cornea and lens and passes directly to the retina (where those important retinal cells live).
The long-term effects of blue light could mean an increased risk of developing macular degeneration, an incurable condition that robs you of your vision. The immediate effects are eye strain, fatigue, blurred vision, and even headaches.
Wearing glasses that block blue light help filter this light to protect your eyes. Not all safety glasses have blue light protection, but Stoggles do, which makes them a great investment for both indoor and outdoor eye protection.
Anti Fog Lenses
Nothing is worse than lenses that fog constantly. They place your eyes at risk when you remove them to wipe them down. Not to mention, it’s incredibly annoying to be taken off task to clean your glasses repeatedly.
Style
One Google search will tell you that stylish safety glasses aren’t really a thing. Luckily, they’re our thing. Stoggles are available in different shapes and colors. You can customize your style and get a pair of seriously safe glasses that still look polished and modern at the same time.
Stay Safe and Effortlessly Cool, With Stoggles
You need eye protection, but you don’t need big, bulky glasses that make you feel uncomfortable or get in your way. Stoggles are the solution for keeping safe, avoiding eye injuries, and keeping your stylistic vision in check.
No matter why you need safety glasses, wearing them is important. Stoggles makes it easy for you to take care of your eyes while preserving your style.
Sources:
Protecting your eyes at work | AOA
When it Comes To Eye Injuries Men's Eyes Have It | AAO
800,000 Eye Injuries Occur Annually, 90% are Preventable | EHS Today
