This question is prompted by the different practices I see in various YouTube videos.

The last response relates to wearing the same glasses that you do for other activities, and not eyewear specifically rated for protection against impact. That’s typically ordinary prescription glasses or nonrated sunglasses.
If your normal eyewear is rated for impact protection and you wear it all the time when shooting, answer “Always.”
“Depends on the gun” could be that you wear protection when shooting a handgun, but not when shooting a rifle.
“Depends on type of shooting” could be you wear protection when practicing, developing loads, etc., but not in competition.
If your “sometimes” is in other situations, please comment.

I know that the provided responses are probably incomplete, so comment and explain if you wish.

Question:
Do you wear impact rated protective eyewear when shooting?
.

Choices:
Always.
Sometimes; depends on the gun.
Sometimes; depends on the type of shooting.
Sometimes if I’m around other shooters.
Sometimes if I think about it.
Never.
Just my daily nonrated eyewear.

Question:
Have you ever experienced an incident while shooting in which your eyewear protected (or would have protected) you from possible injury?
.

Choices:
Yes.
No.

 

I wear my daily glasses, the only incident has been them keeping brass from hitting an eye directly

I wear my prescription glasses because they impact rated. But don’t wear them when using a scoped rifle

Uvex is my choice for eye protection. A cylinder split on an old H&R revolver my buddy was shooting and my eye protection stopped a piece of metal from hitting my eye.

Yes whenever shooting, I wear a pair of Gargoyles rimless "Classic" with clear lenses. These meet spec ANSI Z87.1+

I used to wear my venerable old Bausch & Lomb Ambermatic aviator-style shooting glasses. Then, one day, shooting at an indoor range an expended case took a bounce off the booth side wall, sneaked under the side of the glasses, and stopped just under my right eye.

OUCH!

1/2 inch up and it would've come to a stop on my eyeball.

I did not go shooting again until I got a proper pair of wrap-around-y shooting glasses.

I would wear those Ambermatics shotgunning, shooting a bolt- or lever-action rifle, or a revolver, but that's it. And then only if nobody's shooting a semi-auto anything immediately to my right or left.

I wear whatever eyewear I have on at the time so I picked "daily nonrated eyewear" though I do bring Remington shooting glasses and wear them more often than not so I probably should have answered differently.


I've been hit by brass a few times but more importantly are little particles. I tend to find that my reloaded ammo has more than factory loaded.

None of the above.

I use my ordinary everyday polycarbonate prescription glasses because they offer fairly good impact resistance.

Here's something to bring everyone up to date on what resistance that is.

https://preventblindness.org/w...carbonate_Lenses.pdf

When safety is a major issue, lenses in plano and prescription glasses, sunglasses, fashion and occupational eyewear, and the lenses and
frames for sports eyewear should be made from polycarbonate materials to provide additional protection for wearers.

According to the Optical Manufacturers Association, an estimated 60% of Americans wear prescription
lenses. Since 1970, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has required that lenses in prescription glasses,
sunglasses and fashion eyewear meet minimal impact standards. Prior to 1970, there were an estimated
120,000 lens-related injuries each year

Recommendations
Plano and prescription polycarbonate lenses offer the best impact protection and should be used whenever possible.

I have poly non-Rx glasses. But all my Rx lenses are trivex (formally poly) which I believe offers equivalent protection with better optical characteristics. The former untested but visual acuity does seem better.

I always wear eye protection which are RX Oakleys. Funny timing in the thread, I had a weird ejection and it took a full hit leaving a scratch on the lens. I am glad I had them on.

indoor range about 10 years ago. Someone else's copper jacket bounced back and got stuck in my cheek. about 4 cm below my eye. Had eye protection, per the rules.

I'm a big believer in eye protection.

I wear my Army issued BCG glasses. The old style ones not the new clark kent, or Radar O-reily style they went to.

Someday, I would like to get a pair of Oakley's or Gargoyles with prescription lenses.

I have been saying this for years but I think my old Army BCG are going to need replaced soon. So, I may finally do it.

I never really wore them before since I didn;t need glasses like I do now, but I was firing the M60, and a hot casing hit me just below my right eye (I shoot long guns left handed). Up until a few years ago you could still see the burn/scar.

Ever since then I have worn protection.

For yardwork, I have an older pair of Remington shooting glasses rated Z87+ and last year, I did get a branch to my right eye which was deflected by this eyewear.

On the shooting range, though, the worst that's happened to me is hot brass down the collar of my shirt.

These fit over my Rx glasses

Uvex Goggles

I have had a 5.56 jacket lodged in my forearm. It was because I was an idiot. Had it struck me in the eye, I would have surely lost the eye. I was adamant about eye and ear protection for years, after that event. Over the past couple years, my discipline has waned. I have started doing shooting exercises that necessitate more movement; glasses become problematic. I have started conducting practice that requires communication with teammates; ear protection becomes problematic (silencers help this). A friend had a factory gun shooting factory ammo blow up in a pretty big way, not long ago. That was because there was an ammunition defect, and he didn't notice. He luckily wasn't harmed. After that occurred, I tried wearing eye protection during a movement-heavy, teamwork-oriented exercise. It just didn't work; especially in the heat of the summer.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
For yardwork, I have an older pair of Remington shooting glasses rated Z87+ and last year, I did get a branch to my right eye which was deflected by this eyewear.

On the shooting range, though, the worst that's happened to me is hot brass down the collar of my shirt.

I Second that. Yard work has had me thankful to be wearing EYEPRO many more times than shooting.

FWIW I wear APEL Wiley-X “valor”.
100% when shooting or doing Army field stuff (lead by example)
95% for yard work
50% for auto repairs
95% when using power tools

Yes, always. Either ballistic-rated Oakley wraparound sunglasses when shooting outdoors during the daytime, or clear wraparound safety glasses when shooting indoors or at night.

I've personally caught ricochets/jacket frag to the face and body before, and have been present when guns kaboomed and the shooter was fragged. I have zero desire to lose an eye.


I also wear ballistic sunglasses, along with summer weight long sleeves and pants, when mowing/edging.

My wife and I always wear rated safety glasses when we shoot.

Several years ago while shooting a IDPA match my wife had a hot cartridge get stuck to her eye lid.
She was wearing safety glasses at the time. As she was shooting the stage a cartridge ejected from the gun, hit the under side of the brim of the base ball hat she was wearing and dropped down from above her eye brow.

The cartridge then dropped behind her safety glasses and stuck to her eye lid for about a second.
The safety officer saw this happen however before he could stop her she shook it off and kept shooting the stage. He was amazed at her composure, I told him that was not the first time that happened to her.

The cartridge only left a small red mark on here eye lid and she was OK. After that she tried a different hat for a while. She eventually went back to the base ball hat and a different type of safety glasses but wore the hat different so the cartridge could not get behind the glasses again.

So far so good.

I have two pair of impact resistant wrap around prescription glasses; one with clear lenses and one with tinted. I wear them for all shooting, motorcycle riding, and yard work. I have had brass ricochet off the partition in an indoor range that would have otherwise probably hit my eye.

Yes, I wear shooting glasses or my Oakley's. When was a teenager, we were shooting an old vending machine with a .357 DE. One shot, a piece of metal ricocheted and hit me in the eye. Thankfully no damage, but it took over a week to get it removed. No fun. I've worn glasses to shoot ever since.