Protect Those Eyes
People wear protective eyewear for their jobs, sports and hobbies.Copyright 2005 Denise W. Carlson. Used with permission.
Students design and build prototypes for protective eyewear. They choose different activities or sports that require protective eyewear and design a device for that particular use. Students learn about the many ways in which the eyes can be damaged and how engineers incorporate different features and materials into eyewear designs to best protect the eyes.
Engineers have been designing protective eyewear for centuries, with much improvement as new materials and technologies have become available. Today, many people protect their eyes while participating in jobs, sports and hobbies. Because the eyes have many sensitive parts and are so vital to everyday functioning, it is important for engineers to continue designing better protective eyewear to meet the needs of every activity in which the eyes may be at risk.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Explain the important parts and functions of protective eyewear.
- Explain how the eyes can be damaged and why it is important to protect the eyes.
- Explain why engineers have chosen certain features and materials for protective eyewear.