Why eyewear matters in contamination control
The cleanroom isn’t usually “lost” to a dramatic mistake. More often, it’s the small habits: touching your face, re-adjusting PPE, and carrying personal items across the gowning boundary.
Visitor eyewear plays a quiet role here. If glasses fit well and stay clear, people stop fiddling with them — which reduces glove-to-face contact and the chances of spreading contamination to sleeves, hoods, and work surfaces.
What this product is (in manufacturer terms)
KleenGuard V10 ELEMENT Safety Eyewear, code 33072, is listed as a light blue, uncoated lens with light blue polycarbonate temples. Manufacturer product information identifies a frameless design,
dielectric polycarbonate lens/temple materials, a 9.5 base curve wrap, and 55% visible light transmission (VLT).
The same source lists ANSI Z87.1+ (2010) personal eye protection, impact resistance, and 99.9% UVA/UVB/UVC protection. Storage guidance is straightforward: keep it cool, clean, dry, and out of direct sunlight.
Where light-blue lenses fit (and where they don’t)
- Good fit: indoor visitor programs where a subtle tint can feel more comfortable under bright overhead lighting and helps some users perceive contrast more easily.
- Watch-outs: color-critical inspection steps, certain metrology work, or any task where your work instruction specifies clear lenses only.
- Cleanroom reality: lens choice is secondary to behavior. The best lens still fails if people keep adjusting it mid-process.
ISO-first: donning discipline for cleanrooms
ISO cleanroom operations focus on controlling how people enter, move, and work — because personnel are a primary contamination source.
Your site SOP should define the exact gowning order, but the technique principles below stay consistent across most ISO-controlled environments.
Practical donning guidance for visitor eyewear
- Put eyewear on early: don glasses in the gowning area before gloves are “clean-critical” and before you start handling sterile-facing garments.
- Handle by temples: avoid touching the lens. Fingerprints lead to fogging complaints and mid-process wiping — both increase contamination risk.
- Fit check once: adjust temple length once, then stop. Repeated micro-adjustments add up fast.
- Keep clean-side staging clean: store visitor eyewear in a covered dispenser or clean bin on the controlled side of the gowning boundary.
- Cleaning method: use approved low-lint wipes and an approved cleaner. Avoid paper towels/tissues that shed fibers and leave film.
EU GMP Annex 1 overlay: when aseptic expectations rise
If your operation is pharma/biotech and aligning to EU GMP Annex 1, PPE and gowning expectations tighten — especially around garment coverage, fit, and the way clothing is worn and donned in higher-grade areas.
In practice, that often pushes programs toward more complete facial/eye coverage (for example, goggles or full-face systems), and it increases scrutiny of training and gowning technique.
Takeaway for this product: 33072 is a solid visitor safety-glasses choice for many controlled environments, but Annex 1-driven aseptic areas may require a different eye/face solution depending on your grade, process risk, and SOP.
Always map eyewear to your gowning qualification and to the “do not touch” behaviors you expect inside the suite.
Specifications (manufacturer published)
| Attribute |
33072 (Light Blue, Uncoated) |
| Standard |
ANSI Z87.1+ (2010) |
| Lens / coating |
Light Blue, Uncoated |
| Frame/temples |
Light Blue polycarbonate temples (dielectric) |
| Visible Light Transmission (VLT) |
55% |
| Base curve |
9.5 |
| Frame type |
Frameless |
| Temple style |
Ratcheted |
| UV protection |
99.9% UVA/UVB/UVC protection |
| Storage |
Cool/clean/dry; away from direct sunlight |
Common failure modes (and how to prevent them)
- Lens touching: the #1 trigger for mid-process “wipe and adjust” behavior.
- Fogging: often solved by better staging (don earlier), better fit checks, or choosing anti-fog PPE when humidity is unavoidable.
- Dirty storage bins: clean-side storage must be treated as controlled, not a “catch-all.”
- Wrong cleaning materials: paper products can shed fibers and leave film; use approved low-lint wipes.
SOSCleanroom + Ansell/KleenGuard continuity
With Ansell’s acquisition of the Kimberly-Clark PPE business, the KleenGuard and Kimtech brand families now sit inside a global protection platform.
SOSCleanroom is building forward with that relationship to strengthen supply continuity, broaden cleanroom PPE options, and support customers who need practical guidance — not just a part number.
SOSCleanroom note about SOPs
The Technical Vault is written to help customers make informed contamination-control decisions and improve day-to-day handling technique.
It is not your facility’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), batch record, or validation protocol.
Customers are responsible for establishing, training, and enforcing SOPs that fit their specific risks, cleanroom classification, process flow, and regulatory obligations.
Always confirm PPE compatibility and acceptance criteria using your internal quality system and documented methods.
If you adapt any technique guidance from this entry, treat it as a starting template. Review, approve, and qualify the final method for your workflow.
Use best-practice suggestions to strengthen SOPs — not to replace them.
Source basis
- Manufacturer product information sheet (V10 ELEMENT Safety Eyewear; codes incl. 33072; Rev May 2013): https://cdn3.evostore.io/documents/fusion_us/fus_us_25638_spec.pdf
- SOSCleanroom product page (SKU 33072): https://www.soscleanroom.com/product/apparel/kleenguard-element-visitor-safety-glasses-light-blue-uncoated-case-12/
- Ansell press release (KCPPE acquisition completion): https://www.ansell.com/us/en/press-releases/ansell-completes-acquisition-of-kcppe-business
- ISO cleanroom operations context (ISO 14644-5 overview): https://www.rssl.com/insights/life-science-pharmaceuticals/effective-cleanroom-operation-the-revised-operational-standard/
- EU GMP Annex 1 (sterile manufacturing expectations; gowning relevance): https://health.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2022-08/eudralex_vol4_annex1_2022_en.pdf
- Ansell guidance article referencing Annex 1 gowning focus (Part 7): https://www.ansell.com/us/en/blogs/critical-insight/eu-gmp-annex-1-are-you-dressed-for-the-part
SOSCleanroom is the source for this Technical Vault entry.
Briefed and approved by the SOSCleanroom (SOS) staff.
If you have any questions please email us at Sales@SOSsupply.com
Last reviewed: Jan. 15, 2026
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