Furthering my previous blog post about boob safety, I thought why not continue to be a weird risk assessment blog poster. And start a discussion about eye safety in reenactment combat scenarios.
Eyeglasses, spectacles, goggles: Whatever you call them I think we can all agree that for most periods of re-enactment modern ones aren’t authentic. If you feel more comfortable wearing your glasses all day then that’s an argument for you and your specific group’s authenticity officer not me. What I’m wanting to talk about in this post is the safety considerations of those who require corrective lenses.
The Risk of Wearing Glasses
Outside of the authenticity argument, you will still find many groups and events insisting that glasses be removed on the field. And I would even argue that all glasses (including sunglasses) should be removed in training and sparring. Anywhere that you have to contend with any possible projectile, you should never be wearing glasses. At least not glass ones…we’ll get there
To quote a doctor from the American Optometric Association: “You probably wouldn’t wear high heels to go canoeing, so you definitely shouldn’t wear the wrong type of eye protection for activities like sports or work.”
And to quote some scientists on the matter (who are a lot more blunt): “Fractured spectacle lenses have the potential to convert a blunt trauma into a penetrating eye injury.”
In short, wearing glasses increases the risk to your eyes when engaging in activities which may lead to eye injures. And while I accept that a bare head hit (or EYE hit) should never be happening in re-enactment combat; You’re also not supposed to be regularly throwing nails in your eyes and yet roofers wear safety goggles. Rouge hits, mis-shot arrows or a unfortunately angled fall can all lead to your glasses suddenly becoming a shrapnel bomb on your face.
The Risk of NOT Wearing Glasses
Intuitively, the number one risk of not wearing your glasses on the field would be the fact you cannot see as well. Impaired vision is going to lead to a lack in performance, I personally lack depth perception without corrective lenses.
Although it is a personal choice (and I am aware of many with low level vision issues who are fine with it) I would not advise removing all corrective lenses for the field. If all you see on the field is a few blurry colours, You open yourself up to dangerous missteps and possibly causing problems for insurers if it’s found you could not safely see if an issue occurs.
Individuals with Myopia (short sightedness) can particularly have issues. Most combat encounters are going to require you to see within the 2-3m range and identify body outlines to assure safe engagement first. But other issues such as being unable to register depth correctly, increased sensitivity to light flare and other issues corrective lenses target.
It’s another argument that this post doesn’t need to delve into, but glasses are a medical device. And those that need them, NEED them. It’s not acceptable to exclude a group of people from a hobby because of a medical issue they are unable to control with authentic means. A comparative example would be refusing a reenactor due to a hearing aid, or glucose monitor. It’s a failure of health and safety duty of care to prevent people from wearing glasses.
As with all risk assessment you have to weigh the two possible avenues against each other. Due to the risk of severe injury the conclusion is to not wear glasses. And due to the risk of being unable to see dangers and react appropriately the conclusion is to wear glasses.
What can be done?
Make the glasses safe, with safety glasses!
I imagine this will upset a good few authenticity officers out there. But I propose the wearing of unobtrusive prescription safety glasses for combatants that are unable to wear contact lenses. These glasses are no more expensive than the usual mid-range pair of glasses and feature polycarbonate lenses which do not become shrapnel in an accident.
Another option is a pair of ‘regular’ glasses made from clear plastic outfitted with polycarbonate lenses. These must be polycarbonate and not CR39 plastic, I will attach in the bibliography a video showing why. Clear frames are easy to come by, and most opticians offer polycarbonate lenses at reasonable prices on request. It’s important to consider the frame from a safety perspective, rimless glasses are not to be used as these can easily ‘let go’ of the lens in an accident.
I personally (and the group I roll with) consider such unobtrusive glasses on the same level as hearing aids. They are at the end of the day, a required medical device for a participant to operate effectively and safely. Much like the countless commanders I’ve seen with walkie talkies and ear pieces, a little bit of suspension of disbelief and they disappear.
Other avenues.
Contact lenses are of course the first recommended method for ‘hidden’ ways to correct vision. There are lots of options out there for lenses to suit the individual. I personally use a type of long wear lenses that lets me put them in on Friday and wear them all weekend. I know some individuals can have issues inserting or wearing lenses, this can be down to a poor fit so it’s always a good idea to speak with an optician about the correct options. There are also tools to assist with the insersion of contact lenses.
It’s a drastic measure, but I have to also mention laser eye surgery as someone reading this will get upset if I don’t. It’s not cheap, and not the correct avenue for a lot of eye conditions but it is technically a method for mitigating the risk. I would err against groups telling their members to go get invasive surgery to play however.
For everyone regardless of eye functionality, in the sunshine.
Just as prescription glasses are a massive safety hazard in combat, as are sunglasses. While it’s rare to see someone try to take the field in sunnies, I see them a lot in training and out-of-public sparring. In this instance I would advise looking for sports sunglasses which are designed for activities where you may have a face smashing accident. EN166 rated sunglasses are also incredibly cheap to buy.
- https://www.focusclinics.com/blog/eye-health-in-sports/#:~:text=the%20most%20effective.-,’,safety%20benefits%20for%20the%20wearer.
- https://www.aoa.org/news/clinical-eye-care/health-and-wellness/when-spectacles-pose-a-risk-of-injury
- Hoskin AK, Philip S, Dain SJ, Mackey DA. Spectacle-related eye injuries, spectacle-impact performance and eye protection. Clin Exp Optom. 2015 May;98(3):203-9. doi: 10.1111/cxo.12283. PMID: 25963111.
- https://www.warbyparker.com/learn/polycarbonate-lenses
- Impact simulation on Glass, CR39 plastic (what most glasses these days are made of) and Polycarbonate lenses. – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16Jtvcz8pTQ
- https://www.uvex-safety.co.uk/en/cr39-versus-polycarbonate-lenses/
- A Myopia simulation – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Al2OymxRs&ab_channel=AntoniotheOptometrist
- https://www.thevisiontherapycenter.com/discovering-vision-therapy/are-hidden-vision-problems-holding-you-back-in-sports
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