The prescription glasses you wear or bring with you when you travel should be comfortable and durable. While you can wear any style of glasses that have lenses with your prescription, a pair of prescription safety glasses strikes the best balance between being customizable, durable and protective. Find out why safety glasses are the perfect frames for traveling.
Durable Frames for Traveling
Safety glasses frames are usually made out of lightweight plastic such as nylon or high-performance composites. These shatter-resistant materials withstand mass impact and velocity tests by preventing lenses from popping out of frames or shattering.
While safety glasses are designed for environments with eye safety hazards, many frames also provide lasting comfort. Even if you don’t expect to encounter risks to the safety of your eyes, such as projectiles, while on a trip, safety glasses meet high standards for durability.
Shatterproof lenses and safety frames are helpful when packing a backup pair of glasses or adding tinted, polarized or mirrored lenses to prescription sunglasses. It is a good idea to store any style of glasses in a hard case, particularly while traveling. Soft cases may not provide enough protection to prevent frame damage or lens scratches.
Protective Safety Glasses
Safety glasses lenses are designed to be shatterproof. Lenses that have an ANSI impact rating are stamped with standard manufacturer markings followed by a plus sign. When you travel with safety glasses that bear these markings, you can rest assured that you have protective eyewear.
The rating of safety glasses determines whether you can count on eyewear for everyday protection and if frames and lenses will also protect your eyes from impact, chemical splashes, debris, dust and wind. The leading occupational standard for prescription safety glasses in the U.S. and around the world is ANSI Z87.1. A large selection of prescription-ready eyewear meets the requirements for this standard.
Eyewear that is ANSI-rated may provide either basic or high mass and high impact protection. Military standards cover ballistic-rated eyewear. Other lens markings indicate protection from optical radiation or other hazards. Most travelers shop for glasses based on the quality and style of the frame design and prescription lens compatibility. Even safety glasses that have a basic safety rating are more durable than casual or fashion frames with glass or standard plastic corrective lenses.
Prescription Lenses for Traveling
You should make sure the glasses you travel with have a current prescription. The ability to see clearly is all the more important when you are in unfamiliar locations. Some frames specify a limited range of compatible sphere and cylinder measurements, while other frames are sold as being high-Rx compatible.
Once you find a pair of frames that accommodate your prescription, you have a number of choices with regard to lenses. Travelers may prefer to wear multifocal or progressive lenses to shift seamlessly between near and far focus. You can also choose clear or tinted lenses for safety glasses or sunglasses to wear while traveling.
The polycarbonate lenses of most safety glasses are shatterproof, but are prone to developing scratches. You should always store glasses in a hard case when not in use and bring a lens cleaning cloth to avoid using rough materials to wipe lenses. Glass lenses are not used in safety glasses because this material is heavier than plastic and more prone to shatter.
Light-Adjusting Lenses for Safety Frames
Photochromic lenses contain molecules that react to light, darkening automatically upon exposure to ultraviolet rays and lightning where UV levels are lower. Safety glasses that have light-adjusting lenses can be an excellent choice for traveling, as this eyewear can do double duty to correct your vision and reduce glare outdoors.
Light-adjusting lenses gradually darken enough to block up to 80% of sunlight within 15 minutes of exposure. It takes longer for photochromic lenses to revert to clear than to darken. After five minutes indoors, lenses should allow about 60% of light to pass through. It can take up to an hour for lenses to clear completely.
It is noteworthy that temperature affects the performance of light-adjusting lenses. In general, glasses darken and lighten more quickly in warm temperatures. Cold temperatures cause the molecules in lenses to move more slowly, causing glasses to take longer to darken outside or turn clear inside. The climate of your destination may determine whether you want to travel with a single pair of safety glasses that have prescription photochromic lenses or wear eyeglasses and carry sunglasses in a hard case.
Glasses That Go Anywhere
Safety glasses are the best option for eyewear that stands up to daily wear and any challenges you face during your travels. You should properly care for and store any glasses, but safety glasses frames and lenses are made to stand up to impact and are less likely to get damaged during travel than casual or fashion eyewear.
The days when every style of safety glasses resembled lab goggles are over. You can choose from a wide array of frame shapes, sizes, colors, patterns and materials to complement any clothing you wear while on a trip. The right pair of safety glasses can be dressed up or down and worn anywhere.
Based on your preferences, you may want to order one or more pairs of prescription glasses that have clear, tinted or light-adjusting lenses. It is generally a good idea to wear or carry a pair of eyeglasses in carry-on luggage and pack a backup pair in a hard case in your luggage. Light-adjusting lenses can do double duty as indoor and outdoor eyewear. Glasses that have tinted, polarized or mirrored lenses are the most useful outdoors and may not be ideal to wear for vision correction indoors or while using backlit screens.
The perfect pair of prescription safety glasses will improve your vision and complement your style when you travel. Safety frames are durable enough to pack or wear while traveling. Optometrists recommend storing glasses in a hard case and bringing a repair kit and a copy of your prescription in case you need to replace your eyewear on a trip.
