![]() Most visors curve around the face and come in different widths wider visors offer more peripheral protection. Visors are available in different lengths that include half facepiece length extending to the mid-face, full facepiece length that extends to the bottom of the chin, and a face/neck length that also covers the anterior neck area ( Figures 1 and and2). ![]() Some models come with built-in goggles that are Table 1. Visors can be treated with advanced coatings to impart anti-glare, anti-static, and anti-fogging properties, ultraviolet light (UV) protection, and scratch resistance features to extend the life of the visor. Polycarbonate and propionate offer better, although still somewhat imperfect, optical quality that aids in reducing eye strain associated with face shield wear. Acetate provides the best clarity and PETG tends to be the most economical, but polycarbonate is one of the most widely used. Visors, also referred to as lenses or windows, are manufactured from any of several types of materials that include polycarbonate, propionate, acetate, polyvinyl chloride, and polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) and come in disposable, reusable, and replaceable models ( Figures 1–3). The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with a review of the use of face shields for infection control purposes in order to assist in the selection and proper utilization of this type of PPE. The introduction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens Standard 1910.1–030, as well as recent outbreaks of serious airborne infectious diseases (e.g., Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, Avian Influenza, etc.) and severe infectious agents associated with the potential for body fluid exposures (e.g., Ebola virus), have resulted in increased attention to face/eye protection. Bolker was granted a patent for a surgical hood with a clear, plastic faceplate that included a suction system to remove the exhaled breath from under the face plate and, in 1989, a cap with an incorporated face shield designed for non-surgical medical personnel was patented. It is not precisely known when eye protection first came to be used in the medical field, but records indicate that a 1903 patent was granted to Ellen Dempsey of Albany, New York, for a transparent “sanitary face shield for protection from inhaling disease producing germs.” In 1974, James H. The millions of potential users of face shields include healthcare workers, dental providers, veterinary care personnel, laboratory workers, pre-hospital emergency medical providers, police, firefighters, and custodial staff dealing with spills and contaminated waste. A face shield offers a number of potential advantages, as well as some disadvantages, compared with other forms of face/eye protection used in healthcare and related fields ( Table 1). ![]() ![]() A face shield is classified as personal protective equipment (PPE) that provides barrier protection to the facial area and related mucous membranes (eyes, nose, lips). Healthcare workers' faces have been reported to be the body part most commonly contaminated by splashes, sprays and spatter of body fluids. ![]()
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