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Things to look for in shooting glasses...

Shooters of all kinds require eye protection, whether at the range or in the field. The majority of shooting activities take place in close proximity to the face. Facing the possibility of ricochets, flying objects (ejecting shells, etc), wind, sun and dust, it only makes sense to use good eye protection. Although everyday sunglasses are better than nothing, you're much better off with a pair of protective glasses specifically designed for shooting activities.

But when searching for a quality pair of shooting glasses, what factors do you look at to help make an educated purchase?

For some additional in-depth information on shooting glasses, you might want to check out one of our other sites called Shooting Glasses Guide.

We'd recommend evaluating the following components when making your decision:

Lens
Lens Impact Resistance
Lens UV protection
Frame Coverage
Lens color
Frames

Let's look at each one in more detail:

Lens
A very important important feature to consider. For shooting applications, Polycarbonate is the best lens material available on the market today. Polycarbonate is a type of LEXAN® from G.E., the same material used for bullet resistant glass in autos. It's such hard material that a special diamond grinding wheel must be used to cut the lens. To form the lens itself, the material is melted and then force injected into a special mold. In comparison, Polycarbonate lenses are lighter, more durable, more impact-resistant and more scratch-resistant than any other lens material in today's market. Many law enforcement and fire agencies are now making polycarbonate lens standard issue on all protective eyewear. We strongly suggest looking at polycarbonate lens for your glasses.

Lens Impact Resistance
In light of the application, this is probably the most important feature to be concerned with. Lens color, fit, etc. are all important, but they become a mute point if the lens won't properly protect the eye. Impact resistance ratings are typically standardized through agencies and groups like Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OHSA), American National Standards Institute (ANSI), and the U.S. Military. These standardized rating provide the minimum recommended impact resistance for safety based lens. Some rating information from each group:

OHSA Safety Standard 1910.133(a)(2) requires impact resistant lens AND "eye protection that provides side protection when there is a hazard from flying objects."

ANSI standards for impact resistance are outlined in article Z87.1 and Z87.3. These standards were provided to ANSI by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and specifically focus on eye safety.

U.S. Military - The U.S. Military uses a testing standard called MIL-V-43511C, which is a .22 caliber ballistics impact test. U.S. Military eyewear must pass this standard before being issued to any U.S. military personnel.

We'd suggest choosing shooting glasses with lens that meet or exceed all three standards. If not all three, at least two. We wouldn't take a chance with any less.

Lens UV protection
UV radiation is the low frequency light waves produced by the sun. There are three forms of UV rays: UVA, UVB, and UVC. The atmosphere filters UV-C, so it is not a real concern.

UVB is responsible for sunburn, prolonged eye damage, and some forms of skin cancers. It can penetrate thin cloud layers and up to three feet of water. UVA is the cause of sun related drug reactions.

To provide adequate protection, look for shooting glasses that absorb at least 99% of UV radiation. Choose shooting glasses with one of the following labels: "Blocks 99% or 100% of UV rays", "UV absorption up to 400nm", or "meets ANSI UV requirements." It should be noted that even clear Polycarbonate lens will block or absorb UV rays, so don't become focused on the tint as playing a role in the level of protection.

Lens Coverage
Another crucial element to consider. It's imperative that the lens adequately cover enough of the eye area to provide proper protection (See OHSA Standard above). This is especially important for the side areas of the eye. Look for lens that wrap around past the sides of the eye for complete coverage.

Lens color
This really comes down to personal preferences. Lens today come in a wide range of colors from dark gray or smoke to amber to purple. Some info on specific colors:

Smoke, Gray and Gray-Green tints - The most common type of lens color. They are effective at blocking glare without changing color perception, making them a good choice for all-weather use. Gray is a neutral, or "true," color that allows the wearer to see all colors as they are. Gray shooting lenses do not enhance the target, but they are good in bright sunlight.

Amber-Brown lens tints - Especially good at blocking the blue light commonly found in diffused light such as one might experience on a cloudy day. Amber can improve both contrast and depth perception, and is a good all-around choice for shooting or hunting.

Yellow or Orange tints - Improve contrast and give a sensation of heightened visual acuity. So-called "Driving" lenses are usually amber or yellow-brown. Lenses in these hues block haze and blue light and enhance the orange color of the target. The brighter yellow the lens color is, the better it is for use at night.

Purple-Vermillion tints - A light purple color, which is actually a combination of a neutral gray and a vermilion, is good for enhancing the orange of the target against a background of tall trees. Vermilion itself is useful to highlight conditions where there is poor background, such as trees, and to enhance the target against the background. If you haven't shot with purple tint glasses, it does take some getting use to.

Many shooting glasses manufacturers are now offering glasses with interchangeable polycarbonate lens. Some manufacturers are now offering glasses packages that come standard with a set of 3 different colored lens. We highly recommend that you take a look at this option, as you'll be able to get a lens set of colors/tints to meet the needs of most lighting and atmospheric conditions encountered.

Frames
A few thing to consider in frames:

Frame material - We recommend that you look at frames that are constructed of a lightweight material like plastic, aluminum, or titanium. You'll find frames made from those materials much more comfortable at the end of the day.

Adjustable frames or flexible temples - Those features will allow additional fitting adjustments for added comfort. Flexible temples may also allow you to wrap around the ear in the "cable" style to help keep the frame in place, and the tips of the temples may feature little rounded ends, or "balls," to enhance comfort.

Nose pads - possibly adjustable so that the frame rests in the optimum position, and should be made of soft silicone material for additional comfort.

What about prescription lens?
Many quality shooting glasses can be made with prescription (sometimes called RX) lens to suit most shooters needs. Today, lens can even be made in specialized configurations such as bi-focal views. Please realize that these lens will have to be custom made by an eye care professional and will not be cheap.

For example, Ed recently looked at having some prescription shooting glasses made by Oakley, and was quoted a price of $385 and some change. Actual prices will vary, so shop around. If you need prescription shooting glasses, we'll talk about a much more cost effective solution down below.

What about brands and pricing?
You will find several shooting glasses manufacturers on the market today. They will cover a very broad range of pricing that will range from $30.00 - $200.00 for non-prescription, and $200-$450 for prescription lens glasses. We'd encourage you to shop around and make an educated decision.

What do you recommend? And why?
We test and evaluate many shooting based products before we make a decision to represent those products at Gunner's Alley. Not only do those products have to meet our evaluations, they have to be an excellent value for our customers.

Keeping that in mind, Ed and I highly recommend a brand called Eye Safety Systems or ESS for short. They are relatively new on the market, and produce an outstanding pair of shooting glasses called the ICE or Interchangeable Component Eyeshield at a great price. The ESS products have been adopted as the standard combat eyewear issued by all branches the U.S. Military.

Rather than go into tremendous detail here as to why we love the ESS ICE, check out the link below:

ESS ICE Shooting Glasses

The best part about the ICE, the price. The whole system of frame, 3 lens, and carrying case, is only $50.00. Shop around, you won't find a higher quality pair of shooting glasses at a better value.

Here's another great reason we love the ICE, if you need prescription lens, the ICE has an optional RX carrier that you can buy for another $27.00. Take the RX carrier to your eye care professional, have them insert your lens into the carrier, and then snap the carrier into the ESS ICE frame, and you've got prescription shooting glasses. You just saved 100's of dollars compared to standard prescription shooting glasses. Put that saved money towards another gun...

We hope this information proved to be useful to you. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding this product.