The most important kind of protective gear for paintballers, as any serious paintball player would say, are your goggles. If you have never been injured in the eyes—trust me you do not ever want the experience. But more important than the discomfort, is the fact that paintball damage to the eyes can be permanent—and can even cause blindness.
The only places on your body that can be permanently damaged by paintballs are your eyes—so if you have goggles for your game, you take little to no risk of injury (at least from the paintballs, that is).
However, not just any pair of goggles will work. This is a bad assumption to make, because paintball goggles are specifically designed for paintball. And other goggles such as ski goggles, lab goggles, swimming goggles etc, even if they seem to be very sturdy and dependable, are not made to protect your eyes from paintballs.
Did you know that The American Society of Testing Materials has made specific regulations, to which any lenses made for playing paintball must adhere? For example, all lenses must be made Lexan, and of a certain thickness or better.
The American Society of Testing Materials declares that there must be shooting tests, firstly to test whether the lens will come apart from frame on impact. The lens is shot from a distance of 1.5 meters or lower. Secondly The American Society of Testing Materials requires a test that will determine whether if the lens will cracks or breaks under heavy stresses. In this test the goggle lens is shot at a distance of 1.5 meters or lower with four paintballs at three second intervals and in four places on the lens. As of now, all mainstream goggles fall within parameters, so if you are buying paintball goggles, as long as they are paintball goggles, you can be sure that they live up to these strict guidelines.
An injury to the eye can be permanent, and even if it is not, damage to the outer layer of the eye, the cornea, is an injury you do not want to have—I promise you. Corneal damage is perhaps the most painful kind of injury one can sustain. It has been said that a scratched cornea is more excruciating than the pain of childbirth—if you can imagine that.
So why not splurge for the sake of saving yourself? If you enjoy paintball, and you do not have a pair of paintball goggles—go ahead and buy some. Even if you have played many times without goggles before, purchase a pair for your own sake. You may find yourself in a situation soon that will take you by surprise, and make you very glad you did.
Anne Clarke writes numerous articles for websites on gardening, parenting, fashion, recreation and home décor. Her background includes teaching and gardening. For more of her articles on recreation and safety please visit Paintball Safety.
Written By: Anne Clarke
