They are often banned on chemical sites, since any splash may cause the lens to melt and turn sticky etc, also they allow any liquid to get under them by capillary action, so you cannot wash this off with eye wash - you would have to take the lens out before using eye wash.

Not sure that this scenario would apply with dust in eye though - but if small dust particles could get under the lens, you could not wash it out. This may be the reasoning. Contact lenses can move, so small stuff on the surface of the eye might go under them?

Can I ask all those with a policy that contact lens can't be worn - how do you enforce it?

Maybe I am thick, or perhaps it is the approach of old age, but I fail to follow some of the logic by those claiming that contact lenses should not be worn. Surely if there is potential eye exposure to chemicals/dust, etc. that could damage they eyes appropriate eye protection should be in use. If this is the case, then why should the wearing of contact lenses represent any additional hazard, since eye exposure is now adequately controlled? If the PPE fails, then my risk assessment would consider this as serious, whether contact lenses or exposure eyes are concerned. Or am I missing something obvious?
Chris

There is authoritative evidence etc that in general, contact lenses are not a problem for chemical splashes.


The "myth" was based on unsubstaintiated information and has been found as not cerdible by the American Chemical Society and others.

http://pubs.acs.org/cen/safety/19980601.html

Guidelines for The Use of Contact Lenses In Industrial Environments
http://www.aoa.org/patie...-industrial-environments

Use of Contact Lenses in an Industrial Environment
http://www.acoem.org/Con...dustrialEnvironment.aspx


NIOSH Issues New Recommendations For Contact Lens Wearers
http://www.ccohs.ca/news...1/ezine.html#hazardalert

If you read my post you will find that I stated that they were banned on some chemical sites, and gave the reasoning behind it. I am not suggesting any sort of blanket rule.

Some chemicals (eg solvents) which splashed into the eye could create an additional problem for contact lens wearers in that they would start to dissolve or soften the lens or get behind the lens. A simple risk assessment process would show this.

As for PPE, often safety specs are mandatory but they do not deal with anything other than splashes etc - for protection against eg being sprayed by a substance a visor or goggles is required. So, safety specs might be worn for general purposes but you could still get a serious splash if you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. If we follow the logic that PPE protects anyway, so that's it, we would not bother with eye wash stations would we?

What this all tells me is that there is no rule as such - it comes back to - risk assessment.

Incidentally I have contact lenses but when I worked with chemicals, wore prescription safety specs.

Finally, I had a colleague who got Sodium Hydroxide in his eye. His eyesight was saved by a brilliant first aider. If he had had a contact lens in, I personally think that the damage would have been worse. When someone has something in their eye, it is difficult enough to get them to open their eye to get eye wash in, there is NO WAY they would be able to get a lens out. IMHO.

How many of the posters here have managed eye safety in a chemical environment? It comes down to judgement. Remember this. Get it wrong and someone could lose their eyesight. If in doubt, be cautious.