It's not just smart to wear eye protection also referred to as "eye pro" when shooting it's
required. There are various types of shooting glasses out there, each with a different safety rating.
Let’s look at the safety standards and see what they mean.
Eye shield are the lenses that protect your eyes. They're not created equal.
When you’re buying shooting glasses, most of the good ones comply with specific ANSI standards. You will notice the Z87+ marking on most shooting and safety glasses. This label refers to the ANSI Z87.1 standard, which means that the glasses have been tested for high impact. Some shooting glasses also have the ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 industrial safety standard for eye protection.
Clarity - Did you know that cheaper eye shields distort your vision? This isn't an issue within 15 yards but for more precise shots, this can cause you to miss.
Comfort - Consider soft stems in lieu of hard stems which can hurt your ears and head after an hour of wear. Soft stems have a soft coating. It's hard to tell just by looking at a picture, so check reviews and if your able, try some on. Another consideration is the width of the stem. A thin stem will allow your ear protection (ear muff) to seal onto your head around your ear to protect your hearing from gun shot noise.
Fit - It's important to make sure the eyepro fits your face and is secure when
moving around or jumping. You will want a lens that wraps around and protects your eyes on the sides as well..
Testing Some of the Most Popular Eye Protection
Lens Colors - Eye shield colors are sport specific. For indoor shooting, max visual light transmission (VLT) is a good starting point, as indoor lighting can't match the brightness of the sun on a clear day. Let's review
Clear - Common for indoor and low-light shooting.
Yellow - Mutes blue backgrounds and helps orange targets or sights pop. Best for shooting clays in dimmer sunlight, like fog or haze.
Orange - Mutes blue backgrounds and helps orange targets or sights pop. Best for shooting clays in all but the brightest sunlight.
Amber - Mute blue-light and work best in low light, cloudy days. The amber helps the target’s orange stand out to you, even on those dreary days.
Blue - Mutes yellow backgrounds and helps green targets or sights pop.