last word
Karlen McLean, ABOC, NCLC
ANSI Applications
I've mentioned being part of a practice that had a safety eyewear component before, and some of the benefits of that for our patients and our practice. But the bottom line is that this caused us to be extra-diligent on compliance with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards to ensure that every pair of safety and dress eyewear was made to standard. Doing so kept us and our practice safe from potential lawsuits and patients safe from visual harm.
ANSI eyewear standards are updated, built, and remodeled on a basic foundation. We kept a current copy of the ANSI standards on site.
When approaching employers about being their safety eyewear provider, we often had to explain why safety eyewear is important beyond eye injury and employee productivity and well-being. This led to a briefing on ANSI standards. Businesses and their employees were appreciative of our professional knowledge, which led to us getting many safety contracts and patients.
Industry experts agree that dispensing ECPs should be aware of key ANSI standards for dress and safety eyewear and be able to translate what the standards mean to consumers. Keep in mind that ANSI, ISO (International Organization for Standardization), and Sunglass Association of America/U.S. FDA Food and Drug Administration) standards are voluntary, so you and your patients should look for identifying characteristics before purchasing products that will signify that they meet minimum standards.
Consumers should look for sunlenses that are labeled “100 percent UV protective,” indicating that 99 to 100 percent of UV-A and UV-B radiation is blocked. Non-Rx, high-impact resistant frames have a “Z87+” marking, while basic impact carries a “Z87” marking. Rx safety frames are marked with “Z87.2.” A “+” mark on a lens indicates that it has passed high impact testing. EB
| ANSI IN BRIEF |
|---|
|
The following ANSI standards are a few of the ones most important to the optical industry. ANSI ophthalmic regulations were last revised in 2010. Z80.1-2010. Ophthalmics: Prescription Spectacle Lenses. Recommendations for Rx eyewear, a processing guideline for edged or assembled Rx lenses. Z80.3-2010. Nonprescription Sunglass and Fashion Eyewear Regulations applies to plano power lenses and also includes frames for plano sunglasses and fashion glasses. This standard outlines several types of safety requirements including UV protection, refractive power tolerance, flammability resistance, color discrimination (i.e., traffic signal recognition), and impact resistance as mandated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Z80-5-2010. Requirements for Ophthalmic Frames include frame requirements for street wear, excluding novelty products. Z87.1-2010. Occupational and educational eye and face protection addresses performance for visual and face protection. Sports protective and occupational eyewear is covered here. Your practice should have the latest ANSI information on hand. To obtain copies of ANSI standards, go to webstore.ansi.org. Enter Z80 in the Document Number search box. This produces a list of all eyewear dress standards, as well as standards for intraocular and equipment standards. A copy of Z80.1-2010, Ophthalmics: Prescription Spectacle Lenses can be ordered at the cost of $75. By entering Z87 in the Document Number search box you'll be able to order Z87.1-2010, American National Standard for Occupational Personal Eye and Face Protection (the safety eyewear standard) for $57. |
| Senior editor Karlen McLean has been in the optical industry for 35 years. She has spent half of that time in the dispensary. In this monthly column, Karlen shares her own experiences, and hopes you'll share yours. Contact her via email at Karlen.McLean@WoltersKluwer.com or online at facebook.com/eyecarebusiness. |
|
![]({"src":"/media/flhdszav/92011.jpg","focalPoint":null,"crops":[{"alias":"thumbnail","width":1110,"height":700,"coordinates":null}]})