Eye Protection

Eye protection is very important in lampworking, for two reasons. First of all, glass can sometimes shatter when placed directly in the flame, and you must protect your eyes from flying glass fragments. You must also protect your eyes from potentially damaging Ultraviolet and Infrared rays, which are emitted when you melt glass in a flame. For many years, the standard eye protection for lampworkers has been "didymium" glasses, which have the additional feature of filtering out the distracting yellow glare given off by molten glass. In recent years other types of protective eyewear have become available, some of which are superior to traditional didymium glasses. The type of protective eyewear that is right for you depends on the type of glasswork you will be doing. For instance, making beads would give off less radiation than working a large piece of borosilicate tubing, which in turn gives off less than melting fused quartz. Also, different people may have different sensitivity. Please protect your eyes. Check with your supplier and other reliable sources for more information on choosing eye protection.

This information is offered as a starting point for your own safety research, and new information may affect the appropriateness of these recommendations. The suppliers of this information assume no liability for any injury or harm which may result from use or misuse of this information. Be sure to consult with your supplier, physician or other qualified expert regarding any safety questions you have.

Printed courtesy of: Ed Hoy's International, Naperville, Illinois 60563-1762

Distributed courtesy of: Wale Apparatus,

Provided by Northstar Glassworks