With a wide range to suit the wearer’s needs, Bollé Safety has the perfect designs to keep your eyes protected without compromising on visibility or style.
Many workplaces instigate an eye safety program for their employees as part of their overall occupational health and safety conditions.
It is important to understand that ordinary eyewear such as fashion frames and sunglasses do not provide adequate protection against injury and work-related hazards.
Safety glasses and goggles are specially made to protect from impact, dust, splashes and other potential hazards, while prescription glasses are made purely to improve vision, not for protection.
Prescription glasses are often made of a non-safety standard lens, so an incident involving impact could result in major injury.
Bollé Safety has a range of safety eyewear suitable for prescription glasses wearers. These take a variety of forms depending on preference, but they all maintain the Bollé Safety standards of style and comfort.
They fall into two main categories: safety eyewear that is worn over prescription glasses, or safety glasses with prescription lenses.
Safety eyewear on top of prescription lenses
If keeping the wearer’s own prescription glasses is important, having protection that fits comfortably over the top without digging in or slipping is key. This range of glasses is called over the glasses (OTG).
Bollé Safety offers wearers two options when it comes to OTG with safety glasses over prescription glasses or safety goggles over prescription glasses.
In the former category, the Tryon OTG can be worn over most prescription glasses and are very comfortable, with brow protection and extendable flex 160-degree co-injected temples.
Bollé Safety’s exclusive Platinum anti-scratch, anti-fog coating increases the longevity of these glasses, which are available with clear or smoke lenses.
The no-metal components of the Overlight II makes this frame ideal for food handling, while still offering full protection from side, top and bottom angles.
The Override features telescopic temple arms that allow for adjustment and a secure, comfortable fit over prescription glasses, while the single, distortion-free lens maximises visibility. A Platinum Lite anti-fog, anti-scratch coating on both sides of the lens keeps vision clear in humid environments
In the latter category, the Pilot 2 is available in clear, smoke or CSP lenses, so whether you’re indoors, outdoors, or both, there’s a lens tint to suit.
Pilot 2 is also available with a neoprene strap and is ideal for oil and gas environments. The Pilot 2 Fire is made with the needs of firefighters in mind.
Whatever the model, Pilot 2 offers an excellent field of vision and the Platinum coating increases the longevity of wear.
The Atom model is for those looking for a smaller profile and more compact pair of goggles. Still offering a great peripheral vision, Atom is lightweight and offers medium impact protection as well as protection from splashes. The Atom also comes with an optional mouth guard, offering full-face protection.
The Coverall is ideal for work in clean rooms, with an economic option that offers good visibility, adjustable strap and can come vented or sealed, depending on preference and use.
Safety eyewear with prescription lenses
According to Bollé Safety optical dispenser Claire Leverell, OTG glasses and goggles can be “cumbersome and uncomfortable,” no matter how much effort is put in by the manufacturer.
“Whilst OTGs fulfil the need of protecting worker’s vision, wearing an OTG over your prescription spectacles can damage the frame and lenses,” Leverell says.
“This is especially true with strong prescriptions for near sighted, far sighted, or astigmatism. If your prescription spectacles are your only pair, this can be a problem.”
Wearing two pairs of glasses can also cause slipping and extra fogging, which can decrease visibility and increase discomfort, which is not ideal.
“Bollé Safety prescription spectacles are made to the individual needs of the wearer. Unlike OTG’s they are not a one-size-fits-all solution. The wearer can select a frame that is comfortable for their face as well as looking stylish in the workplace,” Leverell says.
As comfort, visibility and style are all factors that affect whether safety eyewear is worn, prescription safety glasses are likely to be more appealing to the wearer than OTG frames.
“Bollé Safety covers a wide range of corrections and is available as single vision, progressive, bifocal and extended near lenses,” Leverell explains.
“The lenses can be clear, photochromic or polarised and include coatings such as anti-reflection or anti-fog. That means they can be totally customised for the wearer.
“Almost anyone who requires vision correction would benefit from wearing Bolle Safety prescription spectacles in the workplace.”
Furthermore, all Bollé Safety prescription lenses are certified to medium impact resistance AS/NZS 1337.6 standard and all frames come with side shields.
Bollé Safety offers four options when it comes to safety eyewear with prescription lenses.
The B808 has ventilated side shield for extra protection, comes in black or red, and in large or small. A non-slip nose bridge and tip-grip temples keep them from sliding off, maximising safety.
Available in brown, smoke or black frames, the Drift has non-slip nose pads and comfortable temples, and prescription lenses are available in tinted, polarised or clear.
The Kick offers medium protection whilst remaining stylish and comfortable. According to Leverell, it is the best seller in the Bollé Safety prescription range.
“Our most popular frame is Kick. It is fashionable, lightweight, colourful and has integrated side shields. It looks great in an office environment or on the work floor,” she says.
Kick is available in tortoiseshell, orange/black and grey/black; has tinted, polarised or clear lenses for outdoor or indoor work, and the lenses can be polycarbonate or Trivex depending on preference.
The Baxter RX can be used as safety glasses or sealed eyewear, by way of a removable foam gasket and strap.
With a highly wraparound frame, Baxter provides comfort and style, and the waterproof foam gasket and strap offers effective protection from splashes and dust.
Lenses are available in polycarbonate or Trivex and can be clear or tinted depending on preference.
This story also appears in the September issue of Safe to Work.