Goggles

Watersport goggles

Blowtorching goggles and safety helmet

Goggles and safety glasses are forms of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the eye area in order to prevent particulates or chemicals from striking the eyes. They are used in chemistry laboratories and in woodworking. They are often used in snow sports as well, and in swimming. Goggles are often worn when using power tools such as drills or chainsaws to prevent flying particles from damaging the eyes. Many types of goggles are available as prescription goggles for those with vision problems.

The Inuit carved goggles from caribou antler to help prevent snowblindness. The goggles were curved to fit the user's face and had a large groove cut in the back to allow for the nose. A long thin slit was cut through the goggles to allow in a small amount of light. The goggles were held to the head by a cord made of caribou sinew.

Most modern cold-weather goggles have two layers of lens to prevent the interior from becoming “foggy.” With only a single lens, the interior water vapor condenses onto the lens because the lens is colder than the vapor. The reasoning behind dual layer lens is that the inner lens will be warm while the outer lens will be cold. As long as the temperature of the inner lens is close to that of the interior water vapor, the vapor should not condense. However, if water vapor gets between the layers of the lens, condensation can occur between the lenses and is almost impossible to get rid of; thus, properly constructed and maintained dual-layer lenses should be air-tight to prevent water vapor from getting in between the lenses.

The requirements for goggles varies depending on the use. Some examples:

• Swimming: Must be watertight to prevent water, such as salt water when swimming in the ocean, from irritating the eyes or blurring vision. Allows swimmers to see clearly underwater. They will not be usable more than a few feet underwater, because the water pressure will press them tightly against the face.
• Power tools: Must be made of an unbreakable material that prevents chunks of metal, wood, plastic, concrete, and so on from hitting or piercing the eye. Usually has some sort of ventilation to prevent sweat from building up inside the goggles and fogging the surface.
• Motorcycle riding and other open-air activities: Prevents insects, dust, and so on from hitting the eyes.
• Laboratory: Combines impact resistance with side shields to prevent chemical splashes reaching the eyes. May also include laser protection.
• Racquetball: Protect the eyes from racquets swinging in an enclosed area and from impact from hard rubber ball.
• Snow sports: Protect the eyes from glare and from icy particles flying up from the ground.
• Meteorology: dark adaptor goggles are used before going outside at night, in order to help the eyes adapt to the dark.
• Basketball: Several NBA players have worn goggles during play, including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, Horace Grant and Kurt Rambis; they prevent a fellow player from scratching or hitting the eyes when trying to grab the basketball.

Traditional Inuit goggles used to combat snow blindness

Fictional context

Anime

In anime, goggles (or sunglasses) worn or kept on the forehead/headgear by a character are a sign of decisiveness, bravery, or leadership position. In other cases the character has no leader-like or decisive characteristics at all such as Ed, from Cowboy Bebop. Her goggles may have been inspired by the aviators of old, or by historical figures such as George S. Patton or Erwin Rommel. Such characters are commonly known as “Goggleboys”, “Gogglegirls”, or “Gogglehead”. Famous examples include Kino, from Kino's Journey, Naruto Uzumaki (before he gains his Leaf forehead protector), and several major characters in the Digimon franchise.

The Simpsons

In a scene from The Simpsons episode 130, “Radioactive Man,” Rainier Wolfcastle unsuccessfully tries to shield himself from a giant wave of acid by using protective goggles. His exclamation, “My eyes… the goggles do nothing!” has become part of internet humor and is used as a humorous expression after viewing something unpleasant (though it is often said as “The goggles… they do nothing!”).

See also

• Hard hat
• Night vision goggles
• Protective clothing
• Steel-toe boots
• Safety engineering
• Swedish goggles
• Visor