Prescription Eye Protection

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TheGrover

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Hey all,

Im looking to replace my current eye protection solution (mesh goggles over my eyeglasses) with a one piece solution, designed specifically for airsoft/sport if possible.

the two options that I see are either:

-Glasses with polycarbonate lenses and frames which fit around the face

PROS

  • lightweight
  • minimal fogging
  • may be more comfortable

CONS

  • Limited to BS EN 166 F (rated at just over 0.8j, see below)
  • not quite as protective as fully fitted goggles

-Normal protective goggles with prescription inserts

PROS

  • Better seal around the eyes
  • More secure fitting (Generally)
  • can be rated up to BS EN 166 B (over 6j, see below)

CONS

  • likely to cause fogging, due to two extra surfaces to cause condensation upon
  • more bulky and heavy
  • may be harder to use certain weapon sights

Has anyone had any experiences with these solutions to suggest any other notable PROS or CONS to consider? or is there another eye protection solution to consider?

BS EN 166 Ratings and Energy

IF my research serves my correctly, the impact rating (BS EN 166 F or B )is tested using a 0.86g steel ball fired at the lens or frame (or both) at a certain speed, 45m/s for the F rating and 120m/s for the B rating. my Maths tells me that this is 0.871j to be rated as 166 F and over 6j to be rated as 166 B. to add some perspective, a 0.20g bb at 350 ft/s carries a little over 1j of energy, and a 0.20 at 500 ft/s carries 2.323j.

this means that BS EN 166 F eye protection is not actually adequate for airsoft, as the kinetic energy carried by a BB out of a sniper rifle or even most AEGs is significantly more than the requirements for the standard. And on the other hand, BS EN 166 B is massive overkill. Eye protection is not limited to these requirements however, and there is no reason that a pair of BS EN 166 F glasses cannot survive a 2 j hit, just because it has an F printed on it. i havent seen any tests, but if i read correctly, polycarbonate lenses can be used to create eye protection that can stand up to anything an airsoft field can throw (or shoot) at it, though i would be a bit nervous to pay £100 for polycarbonate glasses just to break them when testing, much better to get the seller to assume that responsibility, especially when buying from somewhere that claims to provide eye protection for airsoft.

now, any eye protection i use will get a point blank shot from my own AEG before i trust it on the field, but prescription eye protection can be expensive...

Thanks for reading guys

Edit: Damn auto-smileys B)

 
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I use glasses/goggles with insert lenses, and have done for almost 4 years now. From my experience -

Pros

Should your eyes change, getting new inserts will be cheaper than getting a new set of glasses. My prescription has changed twice over that time, and only having to replace the inserts has saved me a fair bit of cash.

One frame, many glasses/much customisation. Mine came with a normal clear goggles set, a mirrored shades set, and both yellow and red high contrast lenses. Whenever I'm driving on a sunny day, I use the mirrored shades as my driving glasses. Really useful. The contrast lenses are brilliant for playing in low-light environments.

Cons

Fogging. I find the the space between the goggles and my lenses can fog up a fair bit. (May be a problem related to my goggles though, not a generic thing)
Field of view. The inserts are considerably smaller than proper glasses. I have difficulty aiming at times, due to the frames of the inserts getting in the way.

 
Hi, I have to wear glasses for long distance.

I wear viper goggles and I can fit my glasses underneath them with no real disadvantage or discomfort.

The goggles do steam up a little bit, but lifting the slightly from the skin eradicates the fogging almost immediately.

I also had before the goggles, a set of viper glasses. they have a prescription insert (piece of clear rubber to place lenses in) the original plan was to do that, but getting new lenses made was too expensive for me (£80).

 
Ave you thought about contact lenses. I know they're not for everyone but it may be worth considering. Works for me :)

 
I tried Option 2 (goggles + inserts) and it was a disaster. I had some fogging with the goggles before but the inserts were 100% useless. I have tried inserts in the Desert Locusts + fan as well and even there the inserts fog up super quickly even though I got some polycarbonate ones and using anti fog. Simply put goggles fog easily enough as it is, adding another layer of polycartbonate closer to your face dramatically increases the chance of fogging. I just couldn't get this to work for me, I tried twice with two different solutions, it was all an expensive dead end.

I now use contact lenses with Desert Locusts, which is an OK solution. I am not super happy with it, I am bothered my vertical visibility (especially down to my gear) and I am bothered by fogging sometimes, but most of the time its better than anything else I have tried with that level of safety.

 
ive tried contacts, but my eyes are +2.7 and +6.2, so i just cant get good vision :(

 
currently i go with contact lenses and wear smith optics turbo fan goggles.

did look at prescription inserts but couldn't find decent goggles that have inserts and don't fog.

tried mesh but don't get great response when in low light places / night games

 
Ive tried contacts, but due to my eyesight, contacts are unable to correct my vision properly, and i would be unable to drive, or pick out a camo-clad player further than 20m or so.

 
TheGrover said:
Ive tried contacts, but due to my eyesight, contacts are unable to correct my vision properly, and i would be unable to drive, or pick out a camo-clad player further than 20m or so.
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Seriously? Is it prescription alone or something else?, cause both siblings have been worse than 8 and been good for driving and paintball
 
I have a "severe" astigmatism" in my weaker eye, and the prescription carries two values, perhaps my cylindrical correction is just beyond what contacts can provide, i dont know the exact reason, but contacts arent quite good enough

 
TheGrover said:
I have a "severe" astigmatism" in my weaker eye, and the prescription carries two values, perhaps my cylindrical correction is just beyond what contacts can provide, i dont know the exact reason, but contacts arent quite good enough
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Astigmatism does make contact lenses a tricky proposal but not impossible by any means.

 
I think for severe astigmatism likr my bro (so sever he wasn't allowed to do any contact sports for fear of detaching his retina) you need something like hard/gaspermeable lenses, hard to get used to but having had lenses and contacts, the lenses absolutely make such a difference, for games it's defo worth it

 
Funnily enough, i am already in dialogue with Andy about finding a good solution, and i was amazed at the amount of detail that he went into when explaining my choices, and i can certainly see why so many people recommend his services. I also quite like those eye shields, i was originally worried that i wouldnt be able to find a low profile solution, but those seem very much my style.

Thanks for the link, i feel much better informed to make a good decision now :D

 
ikarma70 said:
Full mesh head mask and glasses?
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Tried that, and the fogging is horrendous because my breath is held in the same compartment as my glasses, which cool quickly behind mesh.

I like the ESS crossbow eyeshields, hopefully these will be suitable for my prescription

 
Has anyone tried the crosshairs? Basically a lower profile than the crossbows but otherwise identical

 
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