Three years ago I went to my local indoor range, a trip I make every few months. Like most ranges, this one allows shooters to use regular prescription glasses in lieu of safety glasses and that’s what I’d always done. I’d never had a problem. Halfway through my session that day, though, an ejected case from my pistol bounced off the lane divider and managed to find a just-big-enough gap between the corner of the top of my glasses and my face. Fortunately I’d blinked in time and the hot case tumbled past my eyelid before coming to rest, trapped against the side of my nose by the bottom of the glasses. It left a painful mark, but could have been much worse. From that day on, I would only wear proper safety eyewear when shooting.
And it isn’t just hot brass you need to protect your eyes against. There are ricochets, pieces of flying clay targets, returning fragments from steel or other hard targets, hot gases from muzzle brakes, and even rare but potentially devastating catastrophic gun failures. It only takes one freak incident, one time. There are lots of options in shooting eyewear, so here’s a quick guide to important features with some reviews of the best eyewear for any budget.
What to Look For
Coverage
As I learned from the events above, you need shooting glasses that provide good coverage. They should follow the face’s contours and not leave gaps for projectiles to get through. It won’t matter how good the lenses are if objects can get by them. The lenses should wrap at least a little past the corner where the earpiece hinges meet the frame.
Impact Protection
Aside from coverage, the lens’ ability to withstand impacts is the most important feature in shooting eyewear. There are two ratings glasses can obtain to demonstrate this ability.
The first rating is known as ANSI Z87. ANSI stands for the American National Standards Institute, which exists to set guidelines for safety equipment. The standard for safety eyewear is known as Z87. To be able to claim a product is Z87 compliant, manufacturers have to subject the eyewear to tests demonstrating it will withstand impacts like those encountered in industrial occupations. ANSI Z87 was first published in 1968 and has been updated five times, the most recent in 2015.
The other rating is being included on the U.S. Army’s Authorized Protective Eyewear List (APEL). The requirements to make this list are far more demanding than to pass Z87. Most notably, lenses are put through military high-speed ballistic fragmentation testing, and must be seven times more impact-resistant than what Z87 calls for. APEL eyewear also has to block UV, withstand a wide range of temperatures, and meet a basic standard for optical clarity. Here is the official APEL web page.
Lens Material
Most modern safety eyewear lenses are made of polycarbonate. Polycarbonate is a lightweight plastic that transmits light about as well as glass. It can stand both hot and cold conditions without becoming brittle. Polycarbonate’s most important feature here is its impact resistance. Layers of it are used to form ballistic (“bulletproof”) glass.
UV Protection
Contrary to popular belief, how dark lenses are have nothing to do with how well they block UV radiation. Even clear glasses can block both UV-A and UV-B rays, and it’s an option you should look for in shooting glasses if you do any portion of your shooting outside. UV rays can damage your eyes over time, possibly leading to cataracts or other problems.
Other Features
Shooting glasses may also have the following features, which are primarily about comfort and convenience rather than safety–but people are more likely to wear safety glasses if they are comfortable.
- Anti-fog coating
- Scratch-resistant coating
- Interchangeable lenses
- Adjustable nose piece
- Adjustable ear pieces
Other Considerations
Lens Tints
While clear lenses are an overall good choice for shooting glasses, there are numerous shades and tints available to optimize a shooter’s vision under particular conditions. Here are the most common.
Gray
Gray lenses can range from a light smoky color to a tint as dark as normal sunglasses. These are good for shooting in bright conditions, including outdoors. Gray lenses do not heighten contrast.
Amber/Bronze
These are also good for bright days, but have the added benefit of increasing color contrast.
Yellow or Orange
Bright yellow and orange lenses are good in dull light, like indoor ranges or cloudy days or near dusk. They improve depth perception and make colors pop more, for example orange clay targets.
Prescription Glasses
As I said in the beginning, regular prescription glasses don’t offer enough protection for shooters. Not only do they usually leave gaps, but the lenses aren’t made to withstand projectile impacts.
If you shoot and need glasses, there are several solutions. The first is to wear contacts with standard safety eyewear. You can also buy safety glasses that fit over prescription glasses, but I’ve found these to be clunky and difficult to fit properly. Your other option is to have prescription safety lenses made for shooting glasses frames. Lenses can be made for either single vision prescriptions or bifocals. It’s not cheap–a set of singe vision lenses will cost about $150-200–but there are some mid-priced frames out there than can dampen the expense. A company called Wiley X makes a number of frames that can be fitted with prescription lenses, including their models Talon, Vapor, and Valor. Those three are all APEL rated and under $100.
Selected Products
Here are three of the best shooting glasses on the market at their respective price range.
Budget Range
Howard Leight by Honeywell Genesis Sharp-Shooter
- ANSI Z87 and APEL rated
- 99.9% of UV blocked
- Adjustable nose piece
- Adjustable temples
- Adjustable lens angle
- Available in clear, amber, espresso, vermilion tints
- Exceptional value
Medium range
- Frame and hi-def lens
- ANSI Z87 and APEL rated
- 99.9% of UV blocked
- Anti-fog and anti-scratch coatings
- Superior clarity
- Replacement lenses available for about $20
Premium Range
Oakley Si Ballistic M-frame 2.0
- Frame and 2 lenses
- ANSI Z87 and APEL rated
- 99.9% of UV blocked
- Anti-fog and anti-scratch coatings
- Proprietary polycarbonate (Plutonite)
- Maximum clarity; distortion-free
- Can take prescription lenses
- Replacement lenses available for about $50
- Silicone non-slip ear and nose pieces
Shooting is a lot of fun, but the safety involved has to be serious. Shooting glasses play a vital role in protecting our vision. Hopefully this introduction to shooting eyewear has shown you what to look for when choosing your next pair, and given you some ideas about what’s available in different price ranges.