gripper Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 arc eye, got it bad last night after an afternoon welding the wife's car, walk to hospital at 1am still it'll all be worth it when the disco is all mine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
munkymush Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 arc eye, got it bad last night after an afternoon welding the wife's car, walk to hospital at 1am still it'll all be worth it when the disco is all mine i dont think theres anything hospitals can do for it? i had it once really bad and i was told to just go to bed keep my eyes closed and let it wear off....the daft bit is its totaly self inflicted..but at least you could see to walk to hospital so it must have been a mild case.. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 You recover from arc eye, but you should bear in mind that it's a retinal burn. You can weaken your eyesight significantly, or suffer permanent poor vision later in life. You can of course - blind yourself. While most welding-related eye injuries are reversible, with more than half of injured workers returning to work in less than two days and 95 percent in less than seven days, some eye injuries are irreversible and permanent visual impairment occurs. This is especially true with infrared and visible spectrum (bright light) radiation. Both can penetrate through to the retina and--although this is rare--can cause permanent retinal damage, including cataracts, diminished visual acuity, and higher sensitivity to light and glare Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinny Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 probably about 20 years thinking i was being clever i used a pair of burning goggles for welding not a good idea i know but, i could see to arc etc until that night like its been said its like the end of the world sand in your eyes, its worse than being sprayed with cs spray. i think one time the hospital or nhs direct said olive oil would ease it but ive bought a self darkening visor now and havent had a does for a while.chris. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie69 Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 I got it years ago welding my race car whilst only wearing sunglasses the doctors gave me eye drops that eased it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRecklessEngineer Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 You can weaken your eyesight significantly, or suffer permanent poor vision later in life. You can of course - blind yourself. Speaking here from experience - 4 months working in Greece with cheap/no sunglasses ('cos my expensive ones went overboard) has caused my eyesight to deteriorate noticeably. I'm not needing glasses yet, but I'm not far off. Previously more or less perfect vision. With that in mind, I'd have thought that the damage an arc can do to eyesight is along similar lines. I also now own a pair of decent sunglasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T1G UP Posted April 11, 2010 Share Posted April 11, 2010 As a coded welder and a regular pest to all in my workshop the worst "flash" you can get is from the side. you really need all round protection. After spending a few hours in A&E with arc eye you'd be foolish to do it again in a hurry. PE in a welding/ gring eviroment is paramount. I tend to were saftey glasses and ear plugs all the time in the shop as you can't here the bad singing and stops the other welders flashes and grindings getting at you two best assests. A les says it's a retinal burn, not good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fozsug Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 Cucumber eases the pain a little, but it is still very painful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
errol209 Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 Cucumber eases the pain a little, but it is still very painful Subtly off-piste but on-topic, when I joined the railway (at Watford) we were lectured at to always turn our backs on passing trains, partly because of them spewing sewage, but also because the DC third rail trains arc like buggery (750DC at 1500A) at just below eye level. We had a light duty man who'd got caught by it only a few times and he had gone blind in one eye and could only poorly see with the other. His descriptions etched the pain into my mind. BTW, its "actinic keratitis" if you want to show off... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bull Bar Cowboy Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 You recover from arc eye, but you should bear in mind that it's a retinal burn. You can weaken your eyesight significantly, or suffer permanent poor vision later in life. You can of course - blind yourself. Les. Yes, definitely a 'burn' ........... as my right eye can testify for the rest of my life ......... My vision has a permanent small 'spot' caused by arc eye. Although these days I use a speedglas helmet and pay a lot of attention to PPE........ this was not the case 25 years ago and have suffered the consequences........ I guess when you are younger, you think you are indestructible ! In those days 'welders Flu' was also a common occurrence from stick welding Galvo in confined spaces ........ hey ho Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fozsug Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 Yes these days we have to wear speedglass masks with air feed as well!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pw8757 Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 I got it twenty years ago and remember the event well enough to have been extremely careful ever since! Your experience of going to A&E in the middle of the night is not unusual either - because it's like sunburn, it takes a while for the pain to really kick in. Thank goodness it looks like you had a mild enough case - some of the replies demonstrate just how bad it can be. The one that does worry me is hearing loss - I have defenders hanging on all my noisy bits in the garage for just that reason. It never fails to amaze me how people will grind away merrily without protecting their hearing. The problem is, there is generally no pain - just a realization when it's too late to do anything about it! Hope you get better soon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeyb0y Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 I got it twenty years ago and remember the event well enough to have been extremely careful ever since! Your experience of going to A&E in the middle of the night is not unusual either - because it's like sunburn, it takes a while for the pain to really kick in. Thank goodness it looks like you had a mild enough case - some of the replies demonstrate just how bad it can be. The one that does worry me is hearing loss - I have defenders hanging on all my noisy bits in the garage for just that reason. It never fails to amaze me how people will grind away merrily without protecting their hearing. The problem is, there is generally no pain - just a realization when it's too late to do anything about it! Hope you get better soon Its good advice - i learnt the hard way not so long ago too about ear defenders....but for another reason.....a bit of hot swarf went down me lug-hole!...probably happened to most on here?...thats enough for me to wear ear defenders now - to prevent hot carp - more so than deafness....but both dangers are covered now.. rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redneck Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 Had arc eye many years ago, never forget the pain or the permanent dark spot on my retina. Many people don't realise the damage that has been done, because you brain compensates for the damage done to your eye, make sure you go to the doctor and get checked properly. You can get safety glasses that are clear yet are u.v blocking so that they help prevent arc eye from unexpected flashes. Great for when helping someone with welding. As a side note my hearing has been damaged in one particular range due to working at Heathrow for 6 months and the aircraft noise. Despite wearing ear plugs "most of the time", many colleagues were not. Wear your PPE. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 I've only had arc eye once - many years ago when I bought a second - hand stick welder. The guy who sold it to me told me that if I squinted. I'd be able to see what I was welding and my eyesight would be fine, so I practiced for a while with no eye protection. One of the most stupid things I ever did My hearing is permanently damaged as well (I'm partially deaf). Using a chainsaw every day - sometimes without putting my ear muffs down is no doubt the reason for that. Strangeley enough I would go home and put ear plugs in so I could have a nap without the racket from the kids waking me up Zinc flu - a few times, but one of the hazards of welding galv in confined spaces. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krissvdh Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 I have never suffered arc eye but have guys at work who have, on the hearing front before i became a mechanic i was issued a version of these for my job, does the trick in the workshop too without mics and leads everywhere on this version. Sordin Noise Cancelling Headsets Definately worth the money if you are in a high noise environment for long periods of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt bristol Posted April 12, 2010 Share Posted April 12, 2010 Managed to get arc eye in both eyes when I was younger, added to the pain was the consultant at the eye hospital taking photos for his lecture the next week as it was the worse case he had seen - I now frequently get head aches and eye strain if I weld for prolonged periods so make sure you protect yourself when welding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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