I don't really understand what the issue is with wearing goggles anyway. I have a pair of cheap 3M virtua goggles and they're absolutely fine. I once almost left the house still wearing them, because I don't really notice them after a while.
People can be so irresponsible when working at home, no wonder there are so many accidents. Once me and my roommates were sanding old paint (probably still lead-based) from a wooden door and the amount of dust was just insane. I actually had to force them to wear respirators and they wouldn't stop complaining about it. Many people also don't know that hardwood dust causes cancer and even if you're just sanding untreated natural wood, you have to wear a respirator.
PPE is really not expensive. If you only need it every once in a while, there's nothing wrong with buying the cheap stuff. The more expensive ones are usually a lot more comfortable though, so if you use them more often it can be worth the extra money.