Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

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Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by AussieTimmeh » 25 Aug 2014, 2:37 pm

My brother and I went out to the SSAA range at Seaham on the weekend and had fun shooting out at the range. We met nice people and got some shooting in, despite the sometimes torrential rain.

One thing we didn't realise was the requirement to be wearing some sort of eyewear on the range. I wear glasses anyway but my brother ended up buying a set of the cheapo glasses at the range which enabled him to shoot for the day. By the end, he complained that they were hard to see out of easily and hurt his face.

Of course I told him to toughen up, but I was wondering what do people recommend that are comfortable and still easy to see through scopes with that I might be able to buy for him for his birthday?
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by Baldrick314 » 25 Aug 2014, 9:49 pm

AussieTimmeh wrote:My brother and I went out to the SSAA range at Seaham on the weekend and had fun shooting out at the range. We met nice people and got some shooting in, despite the sometimes torrential rain.

One thing we didn't realise was the requirement to be wearing some sort of eyewear on the range. I wear glasses anyway but my brother ended up buying a set of the cheapo glasses at the range which enabled him to shoot for the day. By the end, he complained that they were hard to see out of easily and hurt his face.

Of course I told him to toughen up, but I was wondering what do people recommend that are comfortable and still easy to see through scopes with that I might be able to buy for him for his birthday?


I usually just wear run of the mill Sunnies mate. On dark days I swap them out for either regular safety specs or a pair of safeties with yellow lenses. Amazing how much the yellow makes your eyes pick up light
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by Apollo » 26 Aug 2014, 8:29 am

I had to replace my prescription glasses recently, being on a pension I took the cheap way out and went to Specsavers. Whilst I was there I asked abour Shooting Glasses and they knew what I was talking about. They got me to put a Texta mark on the lens that was directly inline with the Exit Pupil of my Scope when I was sitting at the bench. That was to the left and top section of the lens and they had a pair of glasses made with that particular shift in the focal point.

This is for benchrest shooting only.

A tint was discussed and I was warned that a yellow tint to enhance light would be okay under poor light conditions but have the reverse effect in bright light, like a bright sunny day and that the tint would not be ideal and probably give me eye strain from the excessive glare so no tint, just plain glasses with a tough coating to make them shatter proof like safety glasses.

Probably their cheapest frames, on the large size side so it gives me plenty of room looking through the top section and not over them. Tried once and they seem great.

Total cost $39.00......for single vision prescription shooting glasses. Eyetest free under Medicare.

BTW. Even if you don't currently wear eye glasses go and get an eye test and check your eyesight, it surprises some people that think they have perfect vision. Nothing lost but lots to gain.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by Warrigul » 26 Aug 2014, 10:37 am

Just for everyones' general information prescription glasses, even with toughened lenses, aren't approved safety glasses or advisable on a firing range, the lens isn't fixed firmly enough nor is there any side intrusion protection(the most common issue on firing ranges). There is medium impact option available(many kids glasses have this)but it still doesn't make them safety glasses.

Every work site I have been on refuses to allow the use of standard or toughened prescription glasses as safety or general wear when eye protection is needed, they either have to be specialist insert safety glasses(these are available) or you are required to wear "glass overs" which aren't too bad.

Yes I know there is a issue with the pistol shooters type apeture glasses but that is another story. My kids and I wear "stick on" apetures for competition pistol shooting. My son wears "glass overs" on the range.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by mausermate » 26 Aug 2014, 10:49 am

I recently purchased my second pair of Allen Shooting Glasses. I think they are about $70 odd. Have a number of different colour lenses for different light conditions including red, yellow and clear and a few spares, are a snap to change over, comfy, approved and good to look through. They even come with a nice case with the frame and all lens inside. I use them all the time. I never take them off when I am shooting at the range or hunting.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by Warrigul » 26 Aug 2014, 10:52 am

mausermate wrote:I recently purchased my second pair of Allen Shooting Glasses. I think they are about $70 odd. Have a number of different colour lenses for different light conditions including red, yellow and clear and a few spares, are a snap to change over, comfy, approved and good to look through. They even come with a nice case with the frame and all lens inside. I use them all the time. I never take them off when I am shooting at the range or hunting.


I am a BIG fan of the yellow lens when shotgunning, makes everything stand out extremely well.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by crys » 26 Aug 2014, 3:33 pm

Warrigul wrote:I am a BIG fan of the yellow lens when shotgunning, makes everything stand out extremely well.


I've never really got that...

Put yellow in front of everything and surely everything just goes yellow. To my eyes anyway.

I never saw how anything stands out against anything else.

Maybe I've just tried a s**t pair?
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by veep » 26 Aug 2014, 3:34 pm

I just got a pair of light weight shatter proof glasses from bunnings for a few coins.

Not big goggle style things, just like a pair of Oakley sunnies but safe.

2c.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by 1290 » 26 Aug 2014, 6:35 pm

Polycarbonate safety glasses..... bunnings boutique is your friend. Yellow or tinted or clear for non sunny shootings.

Try on a few, they'll have plenty.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by Warrigul » 27 Aug 2014, 10:34 am

1290 wrote:Polycarbonate safety glasses..... bunnings boutique is your friend. Yellow or tinted or clear for non sunny shootings.

Try on a few, they'll have plenty.


One last thing I will add, some of the cheaper glasses at places like bunnings are optically correct, many are not.

The way to check is to look at a distant object with the glasses on then whilst still staring at that object raise the glasses and see it the perceived distance changes or distorts as you put them and take them off. Optical correctness is not a big thing using a scope shooting but it can have a huge impact when shotgunning.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by AussieTimmeh » 27 Aug 2014, 2:37 pm

Thanks for all the replies, we'll check out all the options!
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by crush » 27 Aug 2014, 4:08 pm

Warrigul wrote:The way to check is to look at a distant object with the glasses on then whilst still staring at that object raise the glasses and see it the perceived distance changes or distorts as you put them and take them off.


I find that really off-putting in glasses.

Even noticeable on bad ones doing simply things like driving and where the instrumentation appears when reaching for things, or doing up steps.

Shonky petrol station goggles.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by Oldbloke » 02 Sep 2014, 10:24 am

I have been away so slow to respond.

To state the obvious the main reason we wear shooting glasses is to protect the eyes in the case of a gas leak or other catastrophic firearm failure. Impact resistance is therefore rather important. Below are the requirements for safety glasses in Australia & the USA.


AS 1337.1

Low impact: Fashion glasses, sun glasses & prescription glasses - 6.35 mm steel ball travelling @ 12 m/s

Medium impact: Standard Safety glasses 6.35 mm steel ball travelling @ 40 m/s

USA Z87.1 Safety glasses 6.35 mm steel ball travelling @ 45.72 m/s These are often marketed as "shooting glasses"

The test is carried out with the Glasses fitted to a mannequin and the ball is fired at the glasses lens.

There is a failure if any of the following happen:

(a) if it cracks through its entire thickness into two or more pieces;
(b) if more than 5 mg of the ocular material becomes detached from a part of the ocular
surface remote from the surface struck by the ball;
(c) if the ball passes through the ocular; or
(d) if contact is made with either eye of the test head form by the ball, frame, ocular or
any part or fragment of these.


Low impact do not cut it in my view and therefore sunnies and prescription glasses are to be avoided. Be aware that due to a loop hole in the Australian Standard "prescription safety glasses" may only be standard prescription lenses/glasses fitted with side shields so you need to ensure you are sold poly-carbonate lenses, only these will pass the medium impact resistance test above.

The US glasses are to a higher standard however you will pay significantly more for these than the OZ version. The choice is yours.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by Warrigul » 02 Sep 2014, 11:33 am

Oldbloke wrote:I have been away so slow to respond.

To state the obvious the main reason we wear shooting glasses is to protect the eyes in the case of a gas leak or other catastrophic firearm failure. Impact resistance is therefore rather important. Below are the requirements for safety glasses in Australia & the USA.


AS 1337.1

Low impact: Fashion glasses, sun glasses & prescription glasses - 6.35 mm steel ball travelling @ 12 m/s

Medium impact: Standard Safety glasses 6.35 mm steel ball travelling @ 40 m/s

USA Z87.1 Safety glasses 6.35 mm steel ball travelling @ 45.72 m/s These are often marketed as "shooting glasses"

The test is carried out with the Glasses fitted to a mannequin and the ball is fired at the glasses lens.

There is a failure if any of the following happen:

(a) if it cracks through its entire thickness into two or more pieces;
(b) if more than 5 mg of the ocular material becomes detached from a part of the ocular
surface remote from the surface struck by the ball;
(c) if the ball passes through the ocular; or
(d) if contact is made with either eye of the test head form by the ball, frame, ocular or
any part or fragment of these.


Low impact do not cut it in my view and therefore sunnies and prescription glasses are to be avoided. Be aware that due to a loop hole in the Australian Standard "prescription safety glasses" may only be standard prescription lenses/glasses fitted with side shields so you need to ensure you are sold poly-carbonate lenses, only these will pass the medium impact resistance test above.

The US glasses are to a higher standard however you will pay significantly more for these than the OZ version. The choice is yours.


You should be aware that even if they have polycarbonate lenses and fitted side shields unless they are tested as a unit they don't comply legally and can't be worn on jobsites that are fully aware.

I have set the policy that no "side shielded type" prescription glasses are allowed on site even if they have polycarbonate lenses, they must be proper inbuilt lens or goggle types(I am even happy to contribute towards them) or they can choose to wear glass overs or ultimately if they wish to argue the point they can choose to work elsewhere.

If I walk on site and see made up prescription safety glasses or non safety sunglasses being worn they have the option of putting a set of glass overs on or leaving site. Either way there is a counselled mark on their record as it is well covered during the induction.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by salate » 02 Sep 2014, 6:38 pm

Warrigul wrote:You should be aware that even if they have polycarbonate lenses and fitted side shields unless they are tested as a unit they don't comply legally and can't be worn on jobsites that are fully aware.


So no workers comp if you take something to the eye with the wrong goggles I guess?
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by Oldbloke » 02 Sep 2014, 9:53 pm

Usually if you purchase polycarb prescription glasses with side shields you get a certificate of compliance. That has been my experience. I try to avoid over glasses as they can result in poorer vision and less likely to be worn when required.

Regarding compo, that would not be the case in Victoria, however each state is different, so possible in other states.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by Vati » 03 Sep 2014, 4:01 pm

Oldbloke wrote:I try to avoid over glasses as they can result in poorer vision and less likely to be worn when required.


I was going to say.

Most of the tradies I see have their safety gear clipped on their belt instead of on their body.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by 1290 » 03 Sep 2014, 5:24 pm

Vati wrote:I was going to say.

Most of the tradies I see have their safety gear clipped on their belt instead of on their body.


Yup, the old 'keepin the safety gear in the truck'.... You NEED to use it.....

In my industry many years ago supervising a particularly dangerous activity.... safety gear in the truck as it was 'such a pain to use'.... a couple of years later the same bloke I hounded day after day after day..... no longer needed to worry about how painful it was to use the gear.....
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by Warrigul » 03 Sep 2014, 7:07 pm

Vati wrote:
Oldbloke wrote:I try to avoid over glasses as they can result in poorer vision and less likely to be worn when required.


I was going to say.

Most of the tradies I see have their safety gear clipped on their belt instead of on their body.


Three written warnings and down the road if my crew, for subbies it was one warning then piss off, leave site and tell your boss to send someone back who will obey OH&S.

There seem to be a bigger portion of young ones nowadays that see start and meal break times as advisory and PPE purely as an option but sack a few and the rest wakeup.

The hardest ones are some of the older blokes and even though I am 46 I still cop s**t sometimes and am known as a bit of a crunt but that is my job and three strikes works with them eventually too.

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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by Old Fart » 04 Sep 2014, 11:25 am

1290 wrote:safety gear in the truck as it was 'such a pain to use'


I've known a couple of blokes like that over the years.

A few now have less than 10 fingers and toes.
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by pracshooter » 04 Sep 2014, 10:47 pm

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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by paps » 05 Sep 2014, 11:25 am

Old Fart wrote:A few now have less than 10 fingers and toes.


I still can't get the pictures out of my head where you see blokes who've rings have caught on something jumping out of a truck and they peel there finger off.

:oops: :cry: :o :(
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Re: Recommendations on comfortable eyewear

Post by Warrigul » 05 Sep 2014, 12:00 pm

paps wrote:
Old Fart wrote:A few now have less than 10 fingers and toes.


I still can't get the pictures out of my head where you see blokes who've rings have caught on something jumping out of a truck and they peel there finger off.

:oops: :cry: :o :(


I've seen all the skin stripped off a finger when a bloke was jumping off a scaffold and also a wedding ring crushed into a finger and had to listen to the bloke screaming for (what seemed like three hours) three minutes until he passed out.

NEVER wear a steel watchband, leather will break and you won't end up welding it between the a battery terminal and the exhaust pipe on a fishing boat, when that happens it gets RED HOT and burns to the bone. In this instance it was a flexible metal and his wrist was saved by jumpoing straight in to the sea(the boat was at dock).

I am full of horror stories.
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