- Thread starter Eric1
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pedrobedro
Man at Matalan
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I started when I was about 20 and I'm 59 now and I will say categorically that my eyesight has deteriorated in that time 
I don't think it is at all related to welding though. Proper use of welding screen and protective glasses means that in all the time I can only remember having been caught out with flashes a couple of times but as age creeps on I have become a bit long sighted which is perfectly normal.
I don't think it is at all related to welding though. Proper use of welding screen and protective glasses means that in all the time I can only remember having been caught out with flashes a couple of times but as age creeps on I have become a bit long sighted which is perfectly normal.
Windy Miller
Semi-Professional Potterer!
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Well I've been welding on and off for about 30 years or so and the only time my eyes deteriorated to any noticable degree was when I went into IT full time. Prior to that I had 20 20 vision. Possibly just a coincidence and probably and age related thing, but the fact that most companies I have worked for pay for eye tests males me wonder....
Edit:
Al you beat me to it!
Edit:
Al you beat me to it!
Shox Dr
Chief Engineer to Carlos Fandango
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I've been welding since I was 15, Im now 46, when I started to use a TIG set 7 yrs ago, I found it hard to see the weld pool (very low amps 20ish) Within about 4-6 weeks I found my eye sight was far better than it had been. I don't weld such thin material these days and have found my eyesight to have dropped off again.
Over 40 everyone will suffer a deterioration of near vision and will need reading glasses, regardless of whether they had 20 20 before that. The exact age this deterioration occurs depends on the individual but it will definitely have occurred by late 40's.
oilcooled :)
Pipe Welder, Mechanical engineer
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im 20 and i started learning at 12ish, i find welding to be fine on the eyes but very severe on the lungs, but im a asmathic, altho i dont smoke.
rtbcomp
Moderator
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I'm 62 and my near vision has improved over the last few years, it's not as good as it was 30 years ago, but I only wear glasses for driving now, certainly don't need reading glasses.
I have no explanation for that but post 40 near sight deterioration is an established medical fact. Laser sight correction is recommended after 40 YO for this reason, if it's done earlier a second treatment will be required after 40. Mate of mine was adamant it wouldn't happen to him because his vision had always been 20 20, at 44 he had to concede defeat as he was struggling to read !! The effects of aging come to everyone, hopefully !
Dogbreath23
The legend of the black bogey...
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I dunno about welding but my eyesight has definetely got a bit fuzzy since I've been using a computer regular!
the snooper
getting older by the day
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i started welding at 15 but my eyesight only started to deteriate maybe a couple of years ago (reading only) so i got some reading glasses fairly quickly 
4 month ago.
i wouldnt say it was down to welding i dont suppose rusty bits of steel in the eyes would have helped though i just think its an age thing im 43 and if you dont need glasses in your 40s count yourself lucky
on the other hand if you do need glasses at any time in you life count yourself lucky as some people go blind early in life which for people like us would be the end of our tinkering world as we know it
4 month ago.i wouldnt say it was down to welding i dont suppose rusty bits of steel in the eyes would have helped though i just think its an age thing im 43 and if you dont need glasses in your 40s count yourself lucky
on the other hand if you do need glasses at any time in you life count yourself lucky as some people go blind early in life which for people like us would be the end of our tinkering world as we know it
Around the age of 40 a lot of people have eye trouble regardless of what they do. For my self, I think using a computer damaged my eyes more than anything else as I started to be a heavy computer user when I was about 35, 25 years later I now also need glasses to find my glasses. Having said that apart from a couple serious flash burns when I was younger and about 6 metal splinters and sparks in my eye in the last ten years or so which need medical treatment also left their mark. I don't think that welding is good for your eyes but if you take precautions such as welding and safety googles you shouldn't damage them too much.
im only 22 but ive been using computers for as long as i can remember, certainly 15 years, and ive not noticed any change in my eyesight, and neither has any optician - granted i wasn't using really early green screen systems, but ive never had top end screens etc.
gentle hobby welding has, so far, not caught me out - im yet to experience 'arc eye' and would like to keep it like that really...
in terms of the fumes, i tend to find the worst fumes are the bits you havn't noticed that catch fire :S rather than the actula welding itself.
gentle hobby welding has, so far, not caught me out - im yet to experience 'arc eye' and would like to keep it like that really...
in terms of the fumes, i tend to find the worst fumes are the bits you havn't noticed that catch fire :S rather than the actula welding itself.
