Two days ago, I had cataract surgery on my second eye. Everything went well, thank you. For distance, I can now see like an eagle without glasses but I do need glasses to read. Dime-store 2 1/2 x glasses now work fine for reading.
Anyway, I’ll start back woodworking in about a week and was wondering what others have done regarding safety glasses in a similar situation. In the past, I’ve used ordinary hardware store safety glasses but realize they’ll no longer work for close-up work. I guess the choice will be to have a pair of reading safety glasses on a chain around my neck or go with bi-focal safety glasses (normal glass in the top and 2 1/2 x in the bottom). In either case, I guess I’ll have to get the glasses through an eye-glass store since I don’t think dime-store glasses use shatter-resistant lenses. Is that correct? How have you other old guys solved this problem?
Chip
Replies
A number of companies make safety glasses with reading glass lenses. One company makes magnifying lenses that you can stick to the inside of plain safety glasses. A Google search should turn them all up.
John White
P.S. I was just in the McFeeley's catalog and they have shop bifocals for $10.00 a pair.
Edited 4/3/2008 11:29 am ET by JohnWW
I picked up a couple pairs of safety glasses with the bifocal insert at the local Woodcraft Store. They're pretty common.
I have a pair of prescription bifocal safety glasses (Titmus brand). You should be able to get them through your optician. Assuming your prescription isn't too wacky, they're relatively inexpensive (about $100-125), less than regular prescription eyeglasses (where you're paying mostly for the tiny little designer logo on the frames).
You can also get them from online sources like FramesDirect for a bit less, but I stopped doing that once I had to go to bifocals, because with bifocals the alignment is more critical--you really need to have someone measure all of the parameters directly from your eyes.
-Steve
Steve,
where you're paying mostly for the tiny little designer logo on the frames
Got a chuckle out of that one. Back when I started wearing bi-focals (40 ish) my eye doctor was showing me the different frames and asked me if I needee safety glasses. I said yes and a few days later I was sporting new ones, without the logo.
Bumped into a friend later (not literally) and she asked me where I got frames without the logo? She thought they were really cool! View Image
Regards,Bob @ Kidderville Acres
A Woodworkers mind should be the sharpest tool in the shop!
Chip, the stick-on magnifying spots that were mentioned were originally designed to put on sunglasses. That information might help you find them. I can never find them here in the Great Northwest, because the sun never shines here <grin>, but they were easy to find in Palm Springs.
Like Steve, I have prescription safety glasses. They are great to use, and come with side shields that are removeable. Ugly as sin (for a woman) but very sturdy and excellent quality, not terribly expensive.
Edit: Oooops, I'm not an "old guy" so I guess I shouldn't have responded! <grin again>
forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)
Edited 4/3/2008 11:30 am by forestgirl
Ditto that, forestgirl ;-).
It's better to be able to try them on for size at least. I've a pair that I ordered (safetyglassesUSA if I remember correctly) that while they work admirably as safety glasses, the bifocal part is so far down that I really have to tilt my head back to use them if I have the glasses on properly. This makes them so uncomfortable to use that I tend not to, and as we all know, safety glasses don't do a darn bit of good unless they're on your nose.
I have had good luck finding Titmus and American Optical safety glasses with the side shields, in the bins at the thrift stores, such as Salvation Army, Goodwill, and Opportunity Village. They usually have bins of glasses for about a dollar each. The safety glasses stand out because of the side shields.
They are standard frames, most optical shops have templates and blanks for so they are pretty inexpensive to have new lenses put in. The last pair was less than fifty dollars.
The only thing to look out for when you buy them is cracks and oxidation, which is easy to spot as the plastic turns white.
LV sells safety overglasses that fit over prescription or reading glasses. They cost less than $20.
Jim
Hey, thanks to all of you for the replies. I didn't realize I had all of those options. I'm glad I asked. I'm going to follow up a number of your suggestions and let you know what I come up with. Thanks again.
Chip
Chip,
Some ideas for you.
Bi Focal Safety Glasses
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=48027&cat=1,42207
Overglasses. - I don't like these as you get an extra layer of dust
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=42395&cat=1,42207,42216&ap=1
Stick on magnifiers
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=52602&cat=1,42207,42216&ap=1
I went from being pathetically nearsighted to have 20-15 vision. But in the process lost the close up focusing.
Wood dust can be quite abrasive so I do not know how well the stick on magnifiers stand up. I have a pair of prescription safety glasses from work that I use. That plastic certainly get scratched up, so a softer material is going to deteriorate more quickly.
I have never liked the feel of the over glasses for short periods.
Also, since the surgery, my eyes react differently. They don't accept dust as well, so be mindful of that possible change.
Maybe on of those Triton or equal hooded face shields is in the future.
Lot of options.
Eyes, ears, lungs and hands - important tools for woodworking.
Don
Don,
Thanks for your reply to my question. I went out to Grainger's this morning (don't know if you have Grainger's in Canada but they're a large industrial supply house) and purchased a pair of bi-focal safety glasses very similar to the ones in the Lee Valley catalog. I'm pretty sure that's the route I'm going to go. It will just be a question of getting used to bifocals. I've never had to wear bifocals before. Grainger's had a half dozen manufacturers of bifocal saftey glasses most selling in the $12-$18 range. Some seemed more comfortable to wear; the magnified portion on some others seemed to be positioned better for me. I think I'll just have to buy several pairs and experiment.
Also, thank you for that heads-up about sensitivity to saw dust following eye surgery. I'll pay attention to that when I get back to woodworking.
Chip
C.T., thanks for this post, I go to see the eye mechanic on Mon. 4/7. I have to as my friends? are "takin my lunch money" in our regular Tues/Thurs 100 point straight pool jousts. This isn't about money, it is pure pride. I used to give these mooks 35 balls on a hundred or 50 on a hundred and a half and still woop them. This gang is a collection of old friends who -back in the day- could run 60-80 balls at the drop of a hat or better, but with age, cramps, bad backs or legs we still play because we love the game.
To put it in perspective, about 8 years ago I was in the final four (of a starting field of 40/50) of a handicapped 9 ball tournament . I had won 47 games of 9 ball and it was 1:15 A.M. I LOST-I ran out of legs- this is a younger man's game, at this level. Now with the cataract I shoot by instinct and don't do too bad.
In the shop I have been marking with a rule with the CAT eye -close- and can see an eagle scratch his butt at a half mile with the other eye that I formerly needed glasses to see? I expect that in a few weeks all will be better. Paddy
Hey Paddy,
I hear ya. Getting old ain't for sissies!
Chip
Mag Safe makes a full lens magnifying safety glass. I use them almost exclusively over the bifocal style. Highland Woodworking carries them.
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