Final answer:
Proper protective eyewear is crucial for protecting against eye contamination, with polycarbonate lenses offering significant UV protection. Specialized eyewear like welders' goggles and eclipse glasses are necessary for certain tasks to prevent retinal damage. Safety measures include using gloves, and knowing the location of lab safety equipment.
Step-by-step explanation:
To protect against eye contamination, especially when working with or exposed to ultraviolet radiation, one should wear proper protective eyewear. Full coverage eye protection is recommended as light can penetrate the eyes from the sides. While ordinary glasses offer some degree of protection, most plastic lenses, particularly those made from polycarbonate, are more effective as they block the majority of UV rays.
Contact lenses also aid in protecting the retina by absorbing UV radiation. In certain situations, such as when observing solar phenomena or welding, specialized filters or equipment like welders' goggles and specially designed eclipse glasses must be used to prevent severe damage to the retina from high-energy electromagnetic radiation.
It is important to avoid inadequate substitutes like smoked glass, exposed color film, or regular sunglasses that may not block harmful infrared radiation.
Additional safety measures like using gloves, avoiding touching broken glass directly, and knowing the location of safety equipment like eyewash stations in a laboratory are crucial. All these precautions ensure that the eyes are safeguarded from physical and thermal hazards as well as from chemical and radiation exposure.