Hi there, Dr. Robert Heckert here, your biosafety professional. Welcome to this lesson on eye protection as a part of the course on biosafety. In this lesson we will take a closer look at eye protection as a barrier that will help prevent you from getting infected by biological hazards. In this lesson you will learn that there are a variety of eye protection choices, all of which will stop your eyes from getting contaminated. So, let’s get started.

In a previous lesson, you learned that the face is an important area of the body to protect from contamination with biological materials. Previously we covered protecting the nose and mouth with masks. Now let’s take a quick look at protecting your eyes. Any particles, droplets, splashes and sprays carrying biological materials that land in your eyes may lead to an infection. Infections can start locally leading to “pink eye” or a redness of the membranes around the eye. Or they will be washed from the eye with tears and drain to the nose, where the material may be inhaled or swallowed.
If you believe there is a chance of your eyes becoming contaminated you should use a barrier to block this route of transmission. Eye protection will not only block infectious biological particles but also harder projectiles which could physically damage your eyes. Your choices for eye protection include goggles, safety glasses, face shield or even a full-face respirator. Let’ s look at each of those now in more detail.

The best eye protection is goggles. These are tight fitting to the face and will completely block any infectious materials from entering your eyes. There are a variety of styles and sizes and most will comfortably go over your prescription glasses. A second choice is safety glasses. They are used primarily to stop flying debris and objects from impacting your eye, but will also help to protect your eyes from infectious materials. They are not completely tight fitting to your face and therefore, there is still a chance material could enter around the sides. Some styles can be worn over prescription glasses.

A face shield will also protect your eye from materials directly flying at you, but also have gaps around the sides and bottom, which could allow materials to enter. However, they are easily worn by anyone, come in a variety of sizes and styles and also protect your nose and mouth (if full length). Finally, a full-face respirator will also protect your eyes from infectious materials. It is tight fitting to your face, but expensive, since its primary role is a respirator.
Now you might be wondering about prescription eye glasses. These are not considered personal protective equipment and should not be used as the only barrier of eye protection. They have very large gaps around the sides, where flying materials can easily enter. However, if that is all you have it, is better than nothing and may block large materials coming straight at your eyes.

Remember, eye protection won’t help you if you rub your eyes with contaminated fingers or other objects. So, if you wear contact lenses, make very sure your hands are clean before adjusting or removing those lenses. Be aware of face touching and don’t contaminate yourself.

To summarize, just remember that the face is an important area of the body to protect from biological agents. Eye protection is one way of protecting part of the face by putting a barrier between you and that agent. The best choice is to wear a pair of goggles or alternatively a pair of tight-fitting safety glasses. These can be purchased at most hardware stores or online and are very affordable. Both types are reusable and should be cleaned with an appropriate disinfectant between use. That’s it for now. See you in the next lesson and remember … Be safe, be biosafe.