Ballistic-Rated Eyewear Goes Beyond Industrial ANSI Z87.1 Standards
What's the value of a pair of ballistic-rated eyewear? Of course, the easy answer is your vision. But ballistic-rated safety glasses can save your life as well. Ballistic-rated eyewear is designed and tested to survive higher velocity impacts than standard ANSI Z87.1-rated eyewear.
Fortunately, the person in this video wore a pair of Smith Elite Aegis Safety Glasses, which protected him from a ricocheting bullet fragment heading directly toward his eye.
Nothing Versus Something
While industrial ANSI Z87.1-certified eyewear protects you from everyday eye hazards, they haven't been tested against the higher velocity standards for ballistic-rated eyewear. So, you should always wear ballistic-rated shooting glasses when handling firearms on the range or in the field.
Always wear ballistic-rated shooting glasses when handling firearms.
Unfortunately, however, too many individuals don't use eye protection at all! So I want to emphasize the image in the video showing the aftermath of the safety glasses' lenses. To some, it may look like a few scratches on the plastic. However, those lenses were ballistic-rated. Meaning, yes, they are designed to stop the high-velocity impact. So the real question is, could your eye do the same thing? That "scratch" on the lens starts to look deeper and deeper the more you think about it.
Can Ballistic-Rated Eyewear Stop a Bullet?
The short answer is no. However, to emphasize the importance of certified Ballistic Eyewear, take a look at this video:
From the range of the shot, the likelihood of survival is extremely low. And, let's be honest, a handgun shot to the face is certainly not a gamble I would ever be willing to take.
What's truly amazing is that a pair of safety glasses could save your life. The ESS Crossbow caught the pistol round. The bullet doesn't penetrate the lens! Of course, you would still suffer significant injury due to the hydraulic shock of the impact. Still, the ballistic lens offers a level of protection that may save your life.
Obviously, getting shot in the face is an unlikely scenario. However, it's not uncommon for bullet fragments to come back and bite you. Wearing ballistic-rated eyewear ensures one of those bullet fragments doesn't blind you or one of your buddies.
Seriously
If you aren't convinced to wear ballistic eyewear after watching the effects in both videos, try watching them again. Your vision is valuable to everything you do in life, including shooting. So make sure you take the time to protect it.
