Safety glasses serve many purposes in the workforce, protecting the eyes from all sorts of hazards. However, one of the lesser appreciated dangers of manual labor is dust. Getting dust in your eyes is not only unpleasant, but can potentially scratch the corneas and cause long term damage. This article will cover some of the best safety glasses for dust that are available.
Product name | Design | Frame Material | Lens Material | Harness Type | Nose Pad | Over Eyes Seal | Lens Tint | Comfortability | Durability | Pros | Cons | Price |
 | Nylon | Polycarbonate | Over Ears | Builtin Rubber | NA | Yes | 7.5/10 | 8.0/10 | Compact, light weight, tough design | Loose grip, size options are less | ||
 | PVC+ Silicone | Polycarbonate | Over Ears | Builtin Rubber | NA | Yes | 8.0/10 | 7.5/10 | Very industrail and utilitrain design | Lens options are minimal, lens quality a bit cheaper | ||
 | Rubber | Glass | Over Ears | Builtin Rubber | NA | Yes | 7.5/10 | 5.0/10 | Blend with normal eye ware, easy to maintain and clean | Very cheap quality | ||
 | Thermostatic Polyurethane | Polycarbonate | Over Head | Builtin Rubber | Partial | Yes | 6.5/10 | 8.0/10 | CGood protection, nice grip | elastic band quality not upto mark | ||
 | Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene | Polycarbonate | Over Head | Builtin Padded | Full | No | 7.5/10 | 9.0/10 | Excellent built quality, superb comfort, full eye protection, heavy duty | Heavy to carry, lack of ruber nose pads | ||
 | PVC | Polycarbonate | Over Head | Builtin Rubber | Full | Yes | 8.5/10 | 7.5/10 | Very subtle design, can be used for multiple purposes | Lens tint cause refraction | ||
 | Thermostatic Polyurethane | Polycarbonate | Over Head | Builtin Rubber | Full | Yes | 6.0/10 | 8.5/10 | Very handy and easy to carry | eye coverage is of very small area | ||
 | Polycarbonate | Polycarbonate | Both | Builtin Rubber | Full | No | 6.5/10 | 8.0/10 | Excellent built quality, dual options for harness | difficult to carry, lens color options | ||
 | Thermostatic Polyurethane | Polycarbonate | Over Ears | Builtin Rubber | NA | Yes | 7.0/10 | 7.5/10 | Industrial design, easy to swap lenses | Grip over ear is not suitable for bigger sizes | ||
 | Thermostatic Polyurethane | Polycarbonate | Over Head | Builtin Rubber | Full | Yes | 8.0/10 | 8.0/10 | Very tactile look, discrete design, superb grip | bulky, on heavier side |
Our Overall #1 Rated Pick
Dewalt DPG82-11C Concealer Clear Anti-Fog Dual Mold Safety Goggle
Like our overall #1 pick, these are also goggles, but so are all safety glasses. There are many reasons why this product is a great choice overall. To start with, an elastic strap is always a boon with these products, since their ability to fit snugly to your face is important. But that’s not a particularly unique feature, as most products have that.
What it does have that is more unique is a combination of anti-scratch material on the lenses, as well as an anti-fog lens coating. This combination ensures that the product will last longer of course, as less scratches means better visibility and a shorter window of time before having to replace the lens. The anti-fog helps keep your vision clear, which is crucial in a work environment.
Finally, it has soft, dual injected rubber foam for the facial seal that conforms to the face. This provides an excellent level of comfort of course, but more importantly, it provides an airtight seal to keep out dust and other particles.
Pros
- Very resilient lens thanks to anti-fog and scratch treatments
- Dual injected rubber makes for an airtight but comfortable seal
Cons
- Does not completely nullify fogging: is merely resistant to it
Types of Safety Glasses for Dust
Working in construction zones presents many hazards for the people involved. First and foremost is of course dust, which can get in your eyes and cause irritation that may impair one’s ability to work: under extreme circumstances, dust in the eyes could even cause permanent eye damage. This is the main reason one would need dust proof safety glasses, but they can also protect against minor debris or other hazards, like paint chips.
Of course, there are different types of anti-dust safety glasses out there. How do you tell the difference, and which one is right for you? The three aspects of dust resistant glasses mentioned below dictate what type of glasses they are, and how exactly they can serve you.
Lenses
Most goggles to keep dust out of your eyes utilize clear lenses, to provide maximum visibility in the workplace. This has pros and cons. Clear lenses offer good visibility, but rarely offer any sort of protection against optical radiation, like UV rays. But they can also incorporate prescription lenses, which is a must for people that needed visual correction. Finally, most of these goggles have clear lenses that are removable, for easy replacement if they get scratched. There are other types of lenses out there, some of which may be tinted or provide UV protection, but clear lenses are by far the norm for dust goggled. Most products will have them.
Frames
There are many types of frames out there, but there are two main ones to choose between. The first is eyecup safety goggles. These are the goggles that have an individual compartment for each eye. The two sections are not connected. Think traditional swim goggles. These frames can be rigid or flexible, and are available with both direct and indirect ventilation. Most notably, they completely cover the eye sockets, making them a solid choice for all-around protection.
The second type of frame are cover safety goggles. Like the eyecup frames, they can be rigid or flexible, and have direct or indirect ventilation, or even no ventilation at all for complete and total dust protection. Most notably, you will need cover safety goggles if you have prescription eyeglasses, as these are the goggle frames that have space beneath them to allow for the wearing of eyeglasses.
Ventilation
There are three types of ventilation for goggles, and this is probably the most important aspect when it comes to choosing the right pair of dust goggles for your needs. Sealed safety glasses are only as sealed as their ventilation allows, and the three types of ventilation are direct, indirect and non-ventilated.
Ventilated goggles do not completely block particles, though they do block large ones. The benefit of these goggles is that they will not fog up as much as the other types of ventilation. But if the work environment has very fine, small particles, ventilated googles may not keep it out of your eyes.
Indirect ventilation is mostly the same as regular ventilated goggles. The main difference is just the location of the ventilation on the goggles themselves. Indirect ventilated goggles are designed so that air will keep them from fogging up, but any type of liquid or chemical splash will be unable to get in due to where the vents are placed.
Finally, you have non-ventilated goggles, which do not allow any air to get inside where your eyes are. This is important if you are dealing with dangerous fumes or airborne hazards, or extremely thin dust that would get into ventilated goggles. The downside is that these goggles fog up quite often because no air gets in.
For more information on all of these aspects of goggles, please visit this link.
Best Safety Glasses for Dust
We will now cover some of the best dust resistant safety glasses.
The top best product [hide]
Radians XT1-11 Extremis Safety Goggles
The downside of these glasses is that they aren’t fully sealed around your face. So, while they can still keep dust out of your eyes, they won’t do a very good job against extremely small and fine particles. Ultimately, these glasses aren’t cutting edge, but they fit the bill on the protection someone would need in a relatively tame environment. And of course, they are very cheap.
3M Safety Glasses, Virtua CSS
The other strong points of these 3M glasses mostly revolve around their level of comfort and convenience. Contoured temples make sure they fit snugly on your head, while anti-fog lenses help keep your vision clear. Most notably, the glasses are designed to hold earplugs in place or even use them as a lanyard, which is a feature most glasses don’t offer. Ultimately, the glasses aren’t as good as fully sealed goggles would be for all forms of dust and debris protection, but they are a very affordable option while still meeting reasonable safety standards that will be satisfactory for most lines of work.
Clear Eye Protection Safety Glasses - 2 Pack
Uvex Carbon Vision Safety Eyewear
Airsoft X400 Wind/Dust Protection Goggles
Pyramex I-Force Dual Pane Anti-Fog Goggles
Viriber Motorcycle Dust Goggles
Toolfreak Spoggles Safety Glasses
Pyramex Endeavor Plus Safety Glasses
Binboll UV Protective Outdoor Glasses
Safety Glasses for Dust – Buyer’s Guide
What exactly should you be taking into consideration when shopping for dust proof safety glasses? This buyer’s guide will help give you a little insight into that exact question.
Understanding Breathability: or Lack Thereof
One of the most important things to understand about dust proof safety glasses is that they will always be sealed (if they are good that is). This means that such glasses have little to no ventilation for your eyes. After all, if there are holes for air to get in, the glasses can’t keep dust out. This being the case, one should always make sure that the product they are looking at does not mention any sorts of vents or improved ventilation, as that is the one thing safety glasses for dust protection don’t need. While it is unfortunate, this is one drawback that just can’t be worked around, so don’t bother looking for products that will somehow negate this con.
Do Not Assume Dust Protective Glasses Also Cover other Hazards
Our previously mentioned top choice on this article happened to be made of polycarbonate, and had impact resistance. But this is not a universal feature of dust proof safety glasses. After all, their job is to protect you against dust, not impacts or UV rays. They can be designed to also protect against those things, but don’t just assume these features exist on all dust proof glasses. Be sure to carefully check the description of any item you are looking at, to ensure that you understand what it is and isn’t designed to protect you against.
Understand that Dust Proof Glasses can also be Goggles
Like our top rated pick, not all dust proof glasses are in fact glasses. Some are goggles, which naturally have their own pros and cons. Both types of protective eyewear are sealed for dust protection, so there is no difference there. However, if you have prescription eyeglasses, you will need goggles to wear over them as opposed to glasses. Of course, goggles require an elastic strap, which may be uncomfortable for some. For most, which variant is preferred will come down to personal preference more than anything else.
Safety Glasses for Dust FAQ
How do you keep dust off safety glasses?
What are the most comfortable safety glasses?
Can I use rubbing alcohol to clean my glasses?
Verdict
When shopping for dust-proof eyewear, the only thing to really look for is just how airtight their seal is. An airtight seal with no ventilation means no dust, but it may also be more uncomfortable or fog more easily. How airtight you need a pair to be depends on the type of work you’re doing.
That said, keep in mind that dust is rarely the sole thing you need protection from, so if other hazards exist as well, you should choose safety glasses that have extra features like polarized lenses or an official impact rating.