Combination Antifog/Antiscratch Coating Applied to Special Protective Eyewear, Cylindrical System (SPECS): Experimental Trials.

The potential for eye injuries on the battlefield has increased over the years due to advances in fragmenting munitions and the increased use of lasers on the battlefield. Though the eye is extremely susceptible to damage, even by small, low-velocity projectiles, the eye can easily be protected with proper eyewear. Current military protective eyewear systems, however, are prone to fogging. Antifog coatings exist, though have traditionally been incompatible with antiscratch coatings required to protect the polycarbonate base from which most military eyewear is made. Manufacturers have made recent efforts to develop a coating that offers both antiscratch as well as antifog protection. The report documents one effort in which such a coating is applied to a military item. The experimental antifogantiscratch samples evaluated in this particular study do note demonstrate durable antifog capabilities. Scratch resistance and resistance to insect repellent DEET were inferior as compared to standard samples. Since only one combination antifogantiscratch coating was investigated for this particular study, additional combination antifogantiscratch coatings warrant further investigation as they become available.