Posted By Ian D I have issued advice for lab staff not to wear contact lenses in the laboratory, the company will pay for prescription safety glasses. This is due to chemical splashes being difficult to treat i.e washing the eye out and that a chemical splash or vapours may well cause the contact lenses to fuse onto the eye. Has anyone got any information that can confirm my suspision, any references etc, as this advice is being questioned. regards

Posted By Jack - - - and surely prescription safety spectacles are not suitable for chemical splash (ie don't meet EN166-3) so you would have to wear goggles or face shield over the prescription specs.

Posted By Diane Warne In response to Jack, prescription safety spectacles ARE available that comply with EN166. However - my opinion is that anyone in an eye hazard area should be wearing eye protection in any case; the risk of eye injury is thus minimised. The question is then whether a person who gets an eye splash despite wearing eye protection, and is wearing contact lenses, is at greater risk. Some people do assert that contact lens wearers are more at risk from chemical splashes to the eye, but I've never seem any firm evidence to support this. As has been mentioned, the idea that lenses can fuse to the eye is a myth. The modern soft lens is a very thin film of high-water-content plastic floating on the tear film. In the event of a chemical splash to the eye, an eyewash would wash it straight off. If it didn't get washed off immediately it can just be pulled off the eye very easily in a second, and washing could then be recommenced. Even if the lens did not get removed from the eye quickly, would the eye be exposed to the chemical more than a "bare" eye would have been? I very much doubt it. My priority is to persuade all workers that they should wear eye protection in labs. Compliance is not likely to be improved if contact lenses have to take the trouble to remove their lenses and put prescription specs on before they work in the lab - and as I've said, I can see no safety benefits from doing so.

Posted By Ian D Thanks Diane you are correct in your assumptions The standard PPE for all laboratories is safety specs, if they are involved with higer risk work they upgrade to safety goggles The question was are they at an increased risk from wearing contact lenses behind the safety glasses then not wearing them, the answer I agree with you is NO. (I have also had this confirmed witht he eye clinics at the two local hospitals) As for prescrition safety specs the option we use states that they "fully" compy with BSEN 166 Thank you all for your input Regards Ian