The title says it all: The Hospital is out of stock on replacement eyeballs, so it falls to you to protect the ones you have. Fortunately, you have your last line of defense—your eye protection. Remember which types are for which hazards (links below are examples, not recommendations; contact me if you need help choosing safety eyewear):

•       Safety glasses protect against impact.
•       Direct-vent safety goggles also protect against impact. If you wear prescription glasses and don’t have prescription safety glasses, this is your best choice for impact.
•       Indirect-vent chemical splash goggles protect against impact and chemical splash. These are your only appropriate choice when working with chemicals.

Chemical splash goggles are required when handling corrosive chemicals or any chemical labeled as a hazard to the eye (e.g., irritants). You may be able to use safety glasses with mild chemicals such as buffer solutions, but remember that buffer solutions often have hazardous ingredients. If your eyes will be unhappy if you are hit with a splash, wear chemical splash goggles.

Safety goggles, particularly the indirect-vent kind, are prone to fogging internally, especially in hot, humid conditions (think Baltimore in August). There are three ways to prevent fogging: 1. Wear goggles with a built-in antifog protection. 2. If you have antifog goggles and they’re still fogging up, wash the goggles. Dirt and dust provide places for fog to nucleate on the lenses. 3. Use antifog wipes such as these, which are claimed to extend the fog-free time for antifog goggles by 60X!

If you have questions about eye protection, contact Dr. Daniel Kuespert, Homewood Laboratory Safety Advocate, at [email protected]. See Dr. Kuespert’s website, https://labsafety.jhu.edu, for more safety information. As always, emergency response is available from Security at 410-516-7777.