Shooting glasses are not fashionable but are a must buy if you want to keep your eyes in good shape. Yes, shooting is fun, but only to the point where it doesn’t harm you. A gun is also a piece of machinery and can break or become faulty anytime.
Keeping in mind that your eyes are one of the most delicate organs in your body exposed to the surroundings, it is of utmost importance to take proper care of them, especially when in a potentially dangerous activity like shooting.
When you hold a rifle supported by your shoulder, your eyes are pretty close to the gun. If any mishappening occurs, your eyes are surely in the danger zone. Earlier there have been many records of mishappenings, some even fatal using an air gun. You know if eyes are gone, they are gone forever unless someone decides to donate their eyes. So better be careful than repent later.
Yes, 99 times out of a 100, nothing might happen, you will be safe and sound, and everything will go smooth as planned. But about that single time, no one knows what will take place; there is a wide range of possibilities. Air rifles are a pretty dangerous item to take them lightly.
Let us analyze the threats your eyes are facing whenever you are going shooting without your glasses.
- When you press the trigger, debris and residues fly away in the surroundings. Who knows a small crunch might follow a path straight to one of your eyes? Imagine a hot metal piece in your eyes, a terrifying experience it will be. Or imagine some powder in your eyes. Also, not everything needs to fly straight in your eyes. Some debris might even bounce on something near, change their course, and get in straight to your eyes. That means you are not safe even when the residues are heading in some other direction other than your eyes, only if you are not standing in an open field.
- Now let us get to another case: no debris is flying around, no powder is there, your eyes are safe after you fired a shot, and your target is pretty close, say about 20 yards or so. After the pellet is fired, you are now at the risk of a ricochet. A ricochet is nothing but the bouncing back of the pellet after hitting the target. Although the velocity is very much less than the muzzle velocity of the gun, still it’s enough to get your eyes damaged.
- In case of an inappropriately set target, ricochet may occur, causing the pellet to rebound and follow a path straight to you, might be to your eyes. Although a shooting glass isn’t strong enough to stop a direct incoming bullet from the barrel, a good quality polycarbonate glass will be enough to stop a ricochet on spot, saving your eyes by a few millimeters.
- Your eyes might have to tolerate the glare of the gun. In the beginning, it might not seem to be a great deal, but eventually, it will cause a tremendous amount of damage to your retinas. Some shooting glasses also come with an anti-glare feature that prevents sudden rays of light strike your retina. Buying colored lenses is a great idea as they will help you concentrate on your target more. Some people prefer to buy glasses with a yellow tint the colored glasses help to focus on the bull’s eye more as they convert the white to yellowish. It works best on a black and white target.
- Here comes the good news for hunters: some manufacturers also produce glasses that camouflage in the surroundings. They are designed to give the owner a clear view, but for the target roaming in the jungle, it is nothing but a part of the wilderness. As more and more people are indulged in hunting nowadays, the demand for camouflage shooting glasses is rising, with manufacturers coming out with new ideas to blend your face with the surroundings. Using colored shooting glass is not at all a good idea if you are only an occasional shooter, and going for the shooting is not your cup of tea. The camouflage shooting glasses might cause some trouble while shooting, and it might take some time for your eyes to adjust to it until you start taking advantage of the shooting glass.
Which shooting glasses are the best?
All kinds of shooting glasses are available in the market, but you need to choose the best for yourself to save your pair of eyes. Going for a cheap product and using it while shooting is the same as going naked eyes. Buy the best use of polycarbonate glasses that cover a lot of area surrounding your eyes. It better to cover as much surface of the skin as possible, but keep in mind not buying a loose one.
An unfit glass will slip down repeatedly, causing you to lose concentration, and eventually, you will hate wearing a shooting glass, a dangerous habit in developing. As an added benefit, the large size shooting glasses will also help you protect the tender skin of your face that might get damaged when debris hits.
We will surely recommend you buy a good quality shooting glass that covers your eyes entirely along with the surrounding areas on your face so that you get overall protection and fits right into your face. Buying something with added features like colored glass and anti-glare is entirely up to you, depending on your need and your budget, although shooting glasses are available at a cheap rate.
Always go for the best quality as it is related to the safety of one of your vital organs, even if they cost a bit more than the normal ones because, with them, you have the security of your precious eyes.
Have a happy and safe Shooting!
