While incidences of paintball blindness have been extremely rare, the consequences are so dire that caution must be exercised at all times. When you are done playing, a barrel locking device should be installed immediately on your paintball gun to avoid injury from accidental firing. Protective goggles should be worn even when leaving the field after the game is over, as long as there are still players with weapons. Most paintball eye injuries occur more from the impact of shrapnel that comes from the explosive projectile, rather than a direct hit to the eye. This is why full face paintball masks are preferred over goggles that only cover the eyes, however both are acceptable as long as they have the proper safety rating.
When buying protective goggles for paintball, it is best to buy them from an authorized dealer. In this way, you can choose from a selection of goggles and goggles that have been officially deemed safe for sport. While there are many types of protective goggles and masks available for different sports, only masks and lenses that have an ASTM approved rating are acceptable for paintball. The ASTM (American Society for Test and Measurement) is an organization that provides unbiased tests for all different products to determine safety standards. If you are unsure of the safety rating of your mask, DO NOT USE IT. The lenses of goggles that have not been approved for paintball can shatter or shatter when hit by a high-speed paintball, contributing to the injury you are trying to prevent.
Paintball goggles come as a pair of goggles or a full face mask. Paintball goggles are more compact, lighter, and adhere to the face covering only the eyes, facilitating movement, however, they do not provide coverage for sensitive skin on the face or head. Even though your eyes are fully protected when you wear glasses, getting hit in the face with a high-speed paintball is not pleasant. Paintball masks offer full protection for the face and some models even cover parts of the head. While full-face paintball masks are more protective, they are larger, bulkier, and cumbersome, yet 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 are not used to wearing a full face paintball mask, you can get overheated quite easily running around the field dodging bullets and making crazy moves. This is why it is important to get a paintball mask that has sufficient ventilation around the mouth and nose. Venting holes in the right places will not only help you breathe easier, but also allow your teammates to hear your speech clearly when communicating on the field. It is also important to choose a mask with anti-fog lenses. By covering your mouth and nose, the heat from your breath will cause the single-pane lenses to fog up. The best paintball masks feature two-paneled lenses and a thermal layer in the middle to combat this problem. Compared to paintball goggles that only cover the eyes, lens fogging is the biggest drawback of full face masks.
It is also important to pay attention to the material from which the paintball mask is made. Most face masks are made of thick, flexible rubber that is quite soft when it comes in contact with the skin, yet offers a lot of protection. These masks are the easiest to move around and the most comfortable to wear. Some paintball masks are made of stiff, hard plastic which offers complete protection, however they tend to be a bit heavier and are not as easy to move as fast. While softer rubber material masks offer better performance, rigid and hard plastic masks remain popular because they can be touched up with custom artwork. Whether you play stage forest or tournament speedball, paintball skins are great for creating an amazing custom look.
If you plan on making your game last longer than 10 minutes, you will need a protective mask that is comfortable to wear, for at least 30 minutes to an hour, and possibly the entire day. Whenever possible, test the paintball mask to make sure it has adequate foam padding that fits your face and is comfortable enough to wear for extended periods. It can also be helpful to see how well your chosen mask matches the rest of your tactical camo outfit or tournament uniform. Unfortunately, the best access to the widest variety of paintball goggles and masks is online, so it is not possible to try them before you buy in most circumstances.