While the incidences of blindness from paintball have been extremely rare, the consequences are so serious one should take precaution at all times. When finished playing, a barrel blocking device should be installed immediately onto your paintball gun to prevent any injuries from an accidental firing. Protective eye wear should be worn even when walking off the field after the game is over as long as there are still players carrying guns. Most eye injuries from paintball occur more from being hit by the shrapnel that comes from the exploding shell, rather than a direct impact to the eye. This is why full face paintball masks are preferred over eye coverage only goggles, however both are acceptable as long as they have the proper safety rating.
When buying protective eye wear for paintball, it's best to purchase from an authorized dealer. This way you are sure to choose from a selection of masks and goggles that have been officially deemed as safe for the sport. While there are many types of goggles and protective masks available for different sports, only masks and lenses that have an approved rating by the ASTM are acceptable for paintball. The ASTM (American Society of Testing and Measures) is an organization that provides unbiased testing for all different products to determine safety standards. If you are unsure of the safety rating of your mask, DON'T USE IT. Goggle lenses that have not been approved for paintball may break or shatter when hit by a high speed paintball contributing to the very injury you're trying to prevent.
Protective lenses for paintball come as either a pair of goggles or a full face mask. Paintball goggles are more compact, lighter and stick to your face covering only your eyes, making them easier to move in, however provide no coverage for the sensitive skin of the face or head. Even though your eyes are fully protected when wearing goggles, getting hit in the face with a high velocity paintball is not pleasant. Paintball masks offer full protection for the face with some models even covering parts of the head. While full face paintball masks are more protective, they are larger, bulkier and more cumbersome, however the most popular. With much more surface area than goggles, paintball masks offer a wider variety of styles and colors to choose from.
If you're not used to wearing a full face paintball mask, you can overheat fairly easily running around the field dodging bullets and pulling off insane moves. This is why it's important to get a paintball mask that has plenty of ventilation around the mouth and nose. Ventilation holes in the right spots will not only help you breathe better and still allow your team mates to hear your speech clearly when communicating on the field. It's also important to choose a mask with anti fog lenses. When covering the mouth and nose, the heat from your breathing will cause single pane lenses to fog. The best paintball masks feature lenses with two panes and a thermal layer in between to combat this problem. Compared to paintball goggles that just cover the eyes, lens fogging is the biggest drawback to full face masks.
It's also important to pay attention to what material the paintball mask is made from. Most full face masks are made of thick, pliable rubber that's fairly soft when it comes in contact with the skin however still offers plenty of protection. These masks are easier to move in and the most comfortable to wear. Some paintball masks are made of rigid, hard plastic, offering complete protection, however tend to be a bit heavier and not as easy to move as quickly in. While softer rubber material masks offer better performance, rigid, hard plastic masks remain popular because they can be airbrushed with custom artwork. Whether you play scenario woodsball or tournament speedball, paintball masks are terrific for creating a killer custom look.
If you plan on your game lasting longer than 10 minutes, you will need a protective mask that's comfortable to wear, for at least 30 minutes to an hour and possibly all day. Whenever possible, try the paintball mask on to make sure it has proper foam padding that fits your face and is comfortable enough to wear for extended periods. It may also help to see how well the mask you choose matches the rest of your camo tactical outfit or tournament uniform. Unfortunately, the best access to the widest variety of paintball masks and goggles is online, so trying them is not possible before buying in most circumstances.
