We rely on our vision to accomplish the majority of tasks at home, at work, behind the wheel – and to stay out of harm’s way wherever we go. Our eyes are considered our windows to the world and provide the sense we rely on above all others.

Over time, it’s common to develop vision problems that require correction to maintain a clear, safe view of our surroundings near and far. In fact, corrective lens use is at an all-time high, with two out of three adults wearing glasses in the U.S., a figure that’s steadily rising.

Wearing corrective lenses at work is imperative to worker productivity and safety. But Rx eyewear alone does not protect the eyes from workplace hazards. Only ANSI-approved safety eyewear is designed, tested and rated to stand up to impact and other eye hazards workers face.

As the number of workers wearing Rx lenses rises, it’s more important than ever to outfit your workforce with effective eye protection that can be worn over the glass. Recent advances including lightweight materials, innovative weight distribution, modern styling, and adjustability features make selecting comfortable, reliable OTG (over the glass) eye protection easier than ever.

Our partners at Honeywell offer excellent adivce on how to protect your  employees who require OTG protection. In fact, by outfitting your workforce with customizable OTGs they can trust, workers will return home safely each day with their invaluable sense of vision intact – and you’ll keep your company’s safety record and bottom line intact.

Safety eyewear must be stamped with the ANSI-Z87.1 mark to meet compliance. OTGs are an exceptional solution for protecting Rx wearers’ eyes. Worn over corrective eyeglasses, they allow for simultaneous vision correction and eye protection. But OTGs have a reputation for being heavy, unbalanced, oversized, uncomfortable, and unattractive to wear. Recent advances in weight distribution, customizable fit, new materials, and comfort features make new OTGs an easy-to-wear solution. And they come in sleek, modern, good-looking styles workers will want to wear all shift long. Finding an OTG to properly and comfortably fit every individual in your diverse workforce can be challenging. 

Injury occurs when an object comes in contact with the eye, most commonly by penetrating or scraping it. Because the eyes are both delicate and intricate, damage is often irreversible. In addition to the pain, vision loss, and ongoing medical expenses incurred to the affected individual, employers pay hefty fees for eye injuries as well. Direct expenses for eye injuries cost companies an estimated $467 million annually; including indirect costs that figure exceeds $934 million, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Given these considerations – and the high value we place on our vision – you’d think wearing safety eyewear would be a no-brainer. Yet non-compliance persists.

In some cases workers are simply not aware that safety eyewear is needed; in others they’ve removed their eyewear due to distraction, discomfort, poor optics or poor fit. They may also wear the wrong type of protection for the hazards – or believe the Rx glasses they’re wearing alone are enough to protect their eyes. Each day, more than 2,000 occupational eye injuries occur, requiring medical attention and often time off. Such injuries commonly result in short-term or permanent loss of vision – even the loss of an eye. The good news is, experts agree that up to 90% of eye injuries are avoidable by using the proper safety eyewear.

Comfortable, reliable OTGs afford workers the confidence they need to focus on the task at hand, not their PPE. It affords employers the benefits of reduced incidents and their associated costs.

Top Considerations for Selecting OTGs: Balance and weight OTGs have traditionally been large by design, and therefore heavy and generally unappealing in appearance. Their imbalanced weight can cause OTGs to press down on the wearer’s Rx glasses, leading to frequent interruptions in work to make adjustments. Furthermore, imbalanced styles of OTGs are prone to falling out of place or sliding down the nose, rendering them ineffective in protecting the eyes upon impact.

New advances in weight-distribution technology make some of today’s OTGs better balanced than ever before. Look for innovative new styles in which weight is dispersed throughout the brow and nose piece for optimal balance and retention. Better balance contributes to a lighter feel all around.

With innovations in lightweight materials and design, some of today’s OTGs weigh significantly less than ever too, even with built-in adjustability features. By choosing OTGs with the latest weight-distribution technology and lightweight design, safety eyewear can feel almost weightless on an individual’s face, even after hours of wear.