Playing it Safe

Eyewear to keep eyes protected from the backyard to the battleground

By Amy Spiezio

Whether your patients are police officers, soldiers or weekend warriors, the safety of their eyes must be considered.

Without delving into the legalities of Duty to Warn, eyecare practitioners have a responsibility to help their patients select eyewear for optimal comfort, performance, and safety. In planning inventory,

ECPs must navigate the product offerings—the dozens and dozens of collections of sport- and safety-focused eyewear on the market—and reach the right blend of eye protection and patient satisfaction.

CASUAL/EVERYDAY SPORTSWEAR

On the basic side is sports lifestyle eyewear. These looks incorporate sleek styling and rugged good looks for an aesthetic that appeals to athletes.

The color palette of this type of eyewear tends to echo that of sports sunwear and design touches have a decidedly active flair.

Features such as gripping nosepads and no-slip temple tips frequently trickle from high-performance sportswear into the design of these ready-for-streetwear ophthalmic styles.

These looks are sporty, but are not built to meet safety regulations; and, therefore, are not your best choice for hard-core athletic needs. For those, look for more specific sports eyewear.

BASKTBALL DIARY: That's Amar'e! After a retina detachment sidelined NBA pro Amar'e Stoudemire from last year's finals and contributed to the end of the season for fans and players in the Phoenix Suns community, he made a serious commitment to protective eyewear for his on-court activities. Paying a visit to the The Better Vision Institute's Vision Summit 2009: Focus on Eye Protection, Stoudemire joined a gathering of experts from across America in the fields of home, work, UV, and sports eye protection in Washington, D.C., to discuss his role as a spokesman for eye protection. The NBA Rookie of the Year, four-time NBA All-Star, and Olympic medalist, has vowed to wear eye protection for the rest of his career, and he has spread his message of safety to America through a national media tour as well as the athlete's website, blog, and day-to-day activities. As the latest season of professional basketball progresses, Stoudemire is continuing to keep his eyes safe with proper protective eyewear. At his website, amarestoudemire.com, he has several communications about his eyewear, including a humorous piece on goggle selection with comedian David Spade. His efforts at promoting safety are working well, and the hometown crew in Phoenix is getting behind the star by hopping on the sports eyewear bandwagon: at a Suns home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, 500 fans sat behind the Suns' bench in orange goggles to show their support.

ENDURANCE ASSURANCE

On the other side of the coin, safety eyewear tends to be just the opposite of street-sporty eyewear: the design is meant to look ready for a day in the office but actually is constructed to endure greater challenges.

There are detailed standards for safety eyewear in the workplace. According to OSHA regulations, specifically Standard Number: 1910.133, there are several basic requirements:

■ Employers must ensure that employees use appropriate eye or face protection “when exposed to eye or face hazards from flying particles, molten metal, liquid chemicals, acids or caustic liquids, chemical gases or vapors, or potentially injurious light radiation.”

■ Eye protection must have side protection when employees face hazards from flying objects (clip-on or slide-on side shields suffice).

■ Another must: an employee who wears prescription frames when working with eye hazards “incorporates the prescription in its design, or wears eye protection that can be worn over the prescription lenses without disturbing the proper position of the prescription lenses or the protective lenses.”

While this eyewear might be strong and able to resist workplace hazards, it doesn't have all of the bells and whistles for enhanced athletic performance. As a result, enduring it might be, but safety eyewear may not fit in a sports setting.

Regulation Review

REGULATION: A BRIEF HISTORY

Since 1933, the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) has brought companies that manufacture safety and personal protective equipment together. Among its product groups is eye and face protection, and from this came protection standards such as ANSI Z87. Currently, the ISEA is the secretariat and publisher of the ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 standards.

The Z87-2003 standard and current draft have a related standards heritage dating back over 85 years. In 1961, there was a split in this original document into three separate standards, Z87 for Eye and Face Protection, Z88 for Respiratory Protection, and Z89 for Head Protection. In 1968, the Eye and Face Protection standard was published with the Z87 designation Z87.1-1968. Since that time, Z87.1 has been revised in 1979, 1989, and in 2003.

In the effort to protect workers and consumers and provide industry-consistent regulations that take into consideration the latest developments in safety, Z87.1 is being updated again.

The most recent draft edition of Z87.1 represents a change in the way the standard is organized; past standards have been organized based on the protector type. In its work, the ASC Z87 group has made efforts to harmonize with related protection standards used globally.

The most recent draft is organized by the nature of the hazard such as impact, optical radiation, dust, fine dust, and mist, among other hazards.

According to Cristine Fargo of the ISEA, the new standards are expected to be approved by the end of the second quarter of 2010.

Answers for Eyecare Professionals

The Vision Council's technical director, Jeff Endres, keeps an eye on regulations for the optical industry. Recently he provided the following information on updates to the Z87 guidelines for eyewear.

Q. Why do you have to update the Z87—has something changed to necessitate revision?

A. ANSI guidelines dictate regular and systematic review of active ANSI standards. The review periods are typically three to five years and are dependent on the standard. The work on the current draft Z87 is a result of a systematic review requirement.

Q. Will the appearance of Z87-compliant eyewear change with the new requirements?

A. The draft Z87 standard is performance-based. Design limitations are not placed on protective devices.

Q. What types of eyewear will this impact?

A. As with prior versions of Z87, this standard is intended for any eye and face protector that will bear the permanent marking indicating Z87 compliance. This could include eyewear, sunwear, welding helmets, goggles, face shields, and other protective devices. In ECPs' offices, the product they see most frequently with this marking is sunwear.

Q. Will this impact the cost of eyewear?

A. Eyewear that the ECPs will sell that bear the Z87 permanent marking should have costs the same as today.

Other Regulatory Issues

As for sunglasses, the ANSI Z80.3 Sunglass standard was revised and published in October 2009. The revisions did not have any impact on manufacturers/distributors as it just dealt with a test method that was removed until it could be corrected (resistance to radiation). It is anticipated that there will be a revised version with a new method published by midyear, along with some other minor corrections/clarifications that should not impact manufacturers/distributors. The revised edition will have a new section added that covers country of origin requirements, but this is already a requirement for importation of these products, notes Jeff Endres.

The ANSI Z80 committee is also working on a reading glass standard (Z80.31) which will be new for ANSI and serve as Z80.3 does for sunglasses, Z80.5 for Rx frames, etc., he notes. This standard is anticipated to be published toward the end of 2010.

Safe for All Species

Some sunglass companies are not only protecting their clients, they're protecting the environment as well. This month, Costa del Mar launched the sunglass style Bomba, named after part of the Belize District on the island of Ambergris Caye—home to some of the best flats fishing on Earth. In addition to providing boaters and anglers with updated side lenses to enhance peripheral vision, a portion of the proceeds from the sale of Bomba will go to help fund the permit tagging program hosted by the Bonefish Tarpon Trust starting this March.

SPORTS SPECIFICS

Whether on the slopes or on a sloop, there are activity-specific eyewear options that protect the eye from hazards unique to individual sports.

For skiers, goggles are sight savers. In recent years, goggles have also become increasingly fashionable, from a fur-banded Fendi look to the distinctive Gucci green and red band and Bolle and Oakley's colorful, creative goggle options.

The best of the lot feature a variety of lens color options to suit ski settings from moguls to cross country. They also feature enough padding to ensure warmth and safety with ventilation to prevent fogging. Look for styles that meet or exceed ASTM F803 impact resistance standards for optimal safety.

HARD CORE ADVENTURE

When selling sports eyewear, dispensers would be remiss if they didn't have something in stock for the true tough guys and girls out there. In recent years, there has been the upswing in demand for the production of safe and effective eyewear for combatants—and supply. To make it onto the U.S. Army Authorized Protective Eyewear List, these models have to offer high-impact protection certified to ANSI Z87.1 and Military Requirements, as noted in this stringent check-list:

1. VISUAL PERFORMANCE. The optics must be correct, even for steeper curves.
2. LENS OPTIONS. The lenses must be shatter-resistant and able to take impacts that can be equal to a shotgun's spray.
3. THE CHASIS. The body of this type of eyewear must be nearly indestructible. In addition, the color palette must include ranges that blend into backgrounds seamlessly with no reflective qualities to catch the light and draw attention.

When planning collections, these might have the best fit range because these frames must be made in several sizes to fit troops, from small women to large men, with equal degrees of comfort and performance.

While the average client may not need this level of protection, there is a growing pool of veterans who are now customers. Law enforcement officers have also helped build this market on- and off-duty. EB

WHAT THEY WEAR Just like celebs on the red carpet can promote sales, so too can athletes' endorsements. Here's a small sample of sports celebrities: SHOOTING “As an Xtreme Sport Shooter and avid sportsman, my eyes are everything! These products provide me with the safety, style, and Xtreme protection that I need,” says Patrick Flanigan. GOLF Kenny Perry, Transitions Healthy Sight ambassador, will compete in adidas Eyewear fitted with Transitions lenses. SKIING Bollé sponsors 2010 Olympian Lindsey Jacobellis who is shown wearing the Bollé Simmer goggle.