Worried about Arc eye

[Welderpaul]

Its human nature to laugh at other peoples misfortune. My normal excuse is the release of adrenalin causes you to laugh. Don'T know if its true but would be good if it was

That's what workmates are for. To let you know if you've done something slightly daft.
And to remind you about it once a week for a minimum of 2 years.

 

[madkayaker]

It stops you making that same mistake again not because it dangerous but you don't want the p taking out of you again

 

[intransit_89]

Hi,

one of the guys on the course, many years ago now, was a full time welder doing the course for his 'tickets' and he told me the worst problem was trying to convince a foreign doctor in A&E that he'd got a problem.

Guys says, "it's like having grit in the eyes"...

Doctor says, "but I have looked, there is nothing in your eyes"...

Repeat endlessly!

Regards
Peter

 

[araspitfire]

3 or 4 times now I've caught myself setting up to start a tig arc.... with my clear face-shield on!....

It's going to happen one day... one disadvantage to auto-helmets I guess...

Al...

 

[Wombat]

As a Pharmacist who has been hauled out of bed in the middle of the night to treat Arc eye on numerous occasions I would like to add that Arc eye is a little bit more than a temporary irritation. What you actually do is sunburn a spot on the retina at the back of the eye. This spot is full of sensory nerve endings that when damaged don't grow back, so you end up with a small 'dead' area - enough of these and it will become noticeable in you field of vision as 'holes' particularly when you are focusing on something such as reading.

 

[marknotgeorge]

Its human nature to laugh at other peoples misfortune. My normal excuse is the release of adrenalin causes you to laugh. Don'T know if its true but would be good if it was

I read somewhere that laughing's a primitive way of letting others know you're not badly hurt and that everything's ok. Or something.

 

[frainey]

Been told at college best way to cure it is to go to bed with 2 cold tea bags over each eye, should clear up for morning?

 

[rswinburne]

I have had this before aswell, one time welding aluminium and one time welding steel, I must say the one I got from welding aluminium was the worst. I think that is because it was thick alu so the power was up real high. It's a feeling my worst enemy does not deserve, Couldn't sleep all night itched like hell, and walking into bright daylight I felt like a vampire. :P But the doctor gave me some eyedrops for it, cant remember the name of it, but on the inscription it mentioned that it contained a very small amount of cocaine, :P yes you read that **** right Cocaine:P Never thought any medicine contained this substance, but this one did, the pain dissappeared within second after putting this **** into my eyes, but got a blurry vision the whole time I was on this medicine, but it only lasted a day so wasn't too bad.. After this I bought a selfblending helmet, because when your an amature in learning its easy to get your helmet stuck when starting the arc or simply start the arc before the helmet is down. :P

 

[madkayaker]

Lots of drugs have recreational drug in them. When i was on school work experience i did a week in the pharmacy in a local hospital. That included doing Controlled Drugs round. I frightened the lass during this by pointing out that the trolley had more value than the average securicor van! They went in pairs after that.

 

[mntbrk]

Intresting thread.
I worked as Retinal Angiographer 7 years in a previous life.
FYI anything that you can feel will not blind you. A scratched or burned cornea, Glass part, will hurt like all hell, but heals incredably fast, usualy over night. I had it bad once and wouldn't want my worst enemy to go through that.
Cocaine was first used by Sigmund Freud and his Ophthmalogist buddy that frequently snorted cocain in sport. One of the two got it in thier eye and discoverd the excelent ability to numb the front of the eye without causing it to become cloudy with microscopic swelling. Opthaine is used now, wish I had a bottle!
The blind spot comes from the retina, Macula area that gives you reading vision, swells with fluid when staring at the sun, lasers, or a nuclear blast. These are the only light sources that will permantly blind you. Unless something explodes and shapnell cuts into your eye. Then you'd be in to see me to fish it out, Nasty stuff.
My professional tip, If you arch flash your eye, Tape your eye closed with an eye cloth patch. If you tape your lids down you will not be able to move your eye under the closed lid thus preventing pain. Your cornea is being touched every time you blink your eye, much like the windshield wipper on your car window. Your cornea is the most sensative thing in your body. The pain is incredible.

 

[Superbad]

I can't understand how I got it last night,arc eye that is 99.5% of the time I ws using goggles. I was welding up an exhaust system yesterday and I needed to weld up new position bracket positions under the car but was dark using the goggles but didn't look directly at the weld I've done the same when welding inside the car under the pedals,couldn't see sod all with goggles. Once in the correct position of welding I looked away,but didn't get arc eye then

 

[Wozzaaah]

By goggles, do you mean normal gas welding goggles? They're most definitely not up to electric welding!
If I understand correctly, you took said goggles off and looked away while welding? If so then I'm not at all surprised you got it! I'll bet you've got a nice rosy glow too!
The UV light will bounce off of everything, it doesn't matter whether you look directly at the arc, your eyes are still susceptible to the light.

 

[runnach]

I'll bet you've got a nice rosy glow too!

Laddie in yesterday tacking up stuff at his work last Wednesday. He decided to wear O&A goggles coz he couldnae be ersed tipping his bucket up and down for most of the day, end result...............face like a Racoon, exception is, white around goggle area, rest of his coupon practically red raw, pains me to explain welding H&S then some decide to ignore

 

[Welderpaul]

I can't understand how I got it last night,arc eye that is 99.5% of the time I ws using goggles. I was welding up an exhaust system yesterday and I needed to weld up new position bracket positions under the car but was dark using the goggles but didn't look directly at the weld I've done the same when welding inside the car under the pedals,couldn't see sod all with goggles. Once in the correct position of welding I looked away,but didn't get arc eye then

I'll not say it serves you right but..get a mask.
It hurts. Really hurts.

 

[..DAZ..]

I still remember the first time I welded/attempted to weld anything, it was also the first and only time I have had arc eye. I was in the third year of my apprenticeship as a maintenence electrician, and was finally left alone on the backshift with nothing better to do than play about. So out came the wee arc welder and a box of sticks, but idiot here didn't know about welding helmets etc and proceeded to burn up 20 or so electrodes with no mask!!! Yes it did hurt, for days!!! And I was too stupid to tell anyone or go to the hospital All the street lights were green, all the car headlights were pink and my eyes felt like someone had pinned the lids open and poured sand in them. When I couldnt make it to work for a couple of days due to not being able to see very well I told my boss I was ill, but my journeyman had discovered the mess I had left behind me and had a suspicion what was up. I don't advocate the beating of apprentices but a beating I got, as well as slagged off for months. But it did teach me a pretty good lesson that I have never forgot, always wear the correct eye protection, wether it's just plain goggles when grinding, or a full mask for welding.

 

[Sparkey]

Laddie in yesterday tacking up stuff at his work last Wednesday. He decided to wear O&A goggles coz he couldnae be ersed tipping his bucket up and down for most of the day, end result...............face like a Racoon, exception is, white around goggle area, rest of his coupon practically red raw, pains me to explain welding H&S then some decide to ignore

Hehe...reminds me of mr sparks welding with goggles too!! he sure looked like a racoon, lol...ah, i told him to use the welding mask but...
I never saw those goggles again??? strange...

 

[zardoz]

What realy bugs me is time and again seeing people on American Chopper welding with no helmet. Sort of holds out a hand and peep over the top type thing.

 

[stucktoweld]

flower tea is the best

My Partner is an herbalist
A good quick safe and health treatment
is to place chamomile tea bags on the eyes
Chamomile apart from soothing and relive irritation, is anti inflammatory and anti septic. Thats why it appears in a lot of creams and lotion used by the ladies amongst all the chemicals, recycled engine oil charcoal etc
Also the tea bags are cheaper than nicking the misses cosmetics or having an antiseptic eye wash that'll hurt
main benefit
more money for the whiskey to steady the nerves it heals quicker normal teabags in the mugs where they belong wife worried think you gone soft in the in the head

 

[Sparkey]

What realy bugs me is time and again seeing people on American Chopper welding with no helmet. Sort of holds out a hand and peep over the top type thing.

Haha! they probably never had arc eye before!

 

[dannyweld]

What realy bugs me is time and again seeing people on American Chopper welding with no helmet. Sort of holds out a hand and peep over the top type thing.

always at that myself, never got arc eye from doing it, just stuck the mig wire through my fore finger once. currently trying to teach myself how to mma without a mask, using my ears. have had arc eye a fair few times. its mainly being in the shop when somebody is welding at the bench beside me all day. you can get flash eye guards (think very big pair of sun glasses) for this kind of situation. the walls in my shop are white (think filthy slum white) which is not a great idea, the best colour to have your walls is supposed to be battleship grey but i think grey would be depressing.