Worried about Arc eye

[tflnemesis]

My first dose of arceye was horrible, i had been welding in the rear floorpan of an old rover 216 and space was really restricted, this was my first time welding so had no idea about the dangers. Tacking with no mask, welding with no mask and just screwing my eyes shut when it was awkward to get in with my mask on.

Boy did i pay for my ignorance, 3 days of feeling like someone had thrown a handful of grit in my eyes that wouldn't clear and being unable to look at any kind of light sources without a lot more pain. Now i have my own welder i also have a cheap self darkening helmet so never strike a spark without it being in place.

 

[david500]

As of today I am a member of the Arc eye club-
Was welding with some idiot yesterday, Guy kept chucking arcs in front of my eyes even though I asked him to warn me before striking,Got me good a few times. Thought I had got away with it until I went to bed.
Hour later woke up and it felt exactly like people describe, "sand in your eyes" which Just comes out of nowhere with no warning. Bit later pillows were soaking from tears,Couldnt open my eyes as they just didnt want to, reflex I think makes you close them even though its hurts worse. Tried going downstairs to fetch a teabag, but couldnt see a f***in thing! Was scared of missing a step so I Gave up and managed to find a T shirt so I soaked it in mineral water which I luckily had by my bed, and made a wet blindfold. Then managed to sleep until about 8am and wasnt too bad then, just swelling in the baggy bits of my eyes. Swelling has gone down but Still have a slight gritty feeling. Was expecting it to be worse though...

 

[the snooper]

Guy kept chucking arcs in front of my eyes

must have had a few burns on his hands then

 

[david500]

Yup, grabs them like snowballs and chucks em at you.

 

[chunkolini]

David500
Thank you for that.
This is one I must be wary of.
Never had it because I work on my own.
The last year or so I have started offering sculpture making workshops. They are going really well. Working with people who have little/no experience of metal working.

But people cant see the point of saying when they are sparking up. I do mention it it, but I think I have become complacent about it. I see the arc and half heartedly glance away.

I am taking this seriously as a warning, from now on I will add this one to my health and safety content. I have mentioned it but not properly.
I dont want to be dishing out handouts to never be read but a brief outline of the circumstances is needed. The workshops are on a 1:1 basis so I a the only person at risk.

chunko'.

 

[Nicolasticity]

Sunburn

Arc eye is UV attack on a very sensitive part of the body. Just like sunburn My first experience needed a few hours down A&E and a tube of creme.

Optrex is good for a minor case - ie too much striking with mask up.

I have heard (urban myth) that if you where contacts welding without protection can dry out the fluid between retina and contact - you would take your eyes out for the last time!

 

[PTvor]

What about wearing wrap around sunglasses, ones that are UV proof? No hassle and should stop you catching flashes and getting arc eye.

Not the best solution because it glosses over the fundamental problem which is the sheer rudeness, but others include taking and busting the perpetrator a good 'un or being a similar merry prankster and giving the perpetrator a dose; you might catch unintended victims and it's just a wrong way to carry on.

I suppose if people are paying to be taught it adds more complexity, and busting 'em one isn't good for business. I guess there are YouTube videos on arc-eye which it would be worth reviewing before starting.

 

[Chickenjohn]

Arc eye is UV attack on a very sensitive part of the body. Just like sunburn My first experience needed a few hours down A&E and a tube of creme.

Optrex is good for a minor case - ie too much striking with mask up.

I have heard (urban myth) that if you where contacts welding without protection can dry out the fluid between retina and contact - you would take your eyes out for the last time!

That is a total urban myth! If anything contact lenses would protect your eyes!, certainly protect the pupil and cornea. I've been wearing contact lenses for years- all the time when welding, because I can't stand wearing glasses under my auto helmet!

I've never had arc eye, despite catching plenty of flashes, some close!

Last night at college I glanced over at a fellow student mig welding a few times, and no arc eye. I wonder if some people are more genetically susceptible to arc eye, perhaps depending on skin tone and eye colour??

 

[PTvor]

Contact lenses don't cover all the eye surface, especially hard ones, which leaves the uncovered part to receive UV and become inflamed. I would have thought that contact lenses and arc eye were a very bad combination. That said, if you wear contact lenses and start to feel eye irritation, you tend to take them out pretty quick and use your emergency specs.

Here's a short US Army film on Snow Blindness, which is the same thing as Arc Eye, just a different source of UV.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG4IbYtgUys&feature=related

I'm sure that people differ a lot in their sensitivity to Arc Eye, in the same way that some people get painful sunburn very easily and others don't.

 

[david500]

David500
Thank you for that.
This is one I must be wary of.
Never had it because I work on my own.
The last year or so I have started offering sculpture making workshops. They are going really well. Working with people who have little/no experience of metal working.

But people cant see the point of saying when they are sparking up. I do mention it it, but I think I have become complacent about it. I see the arc and half heartedly glance away.

I am taking this seriously as a warning, from now on I will add this one to my health and safety content. I have mentioned it but not properly.
I dont want to be dishing out handouts to never be read but a brief outline of the circumstances is needed. The workshops are on a 1:1 basis so I a the only person at risk.

chunko'.

Cant expect welder to look after everyone even though he/she has certain responsibility, Such as using a welding curtain if its practical or just giving a quick warning,Or not weld at all if there are too many people around.
But Everyone in vicinity of arc flash needs to know what the dangers are,Not just the welder. And they should either have suitable protection or not be there.

But I had my life lesson, in future its pretty much look after NO 1.

 

[jonnyBMX]

shouldnt worry about it if it was only for a few seconds ive caught the sight of the light a few times and after the initial lack of vision all is normal again

 

[koiboy]

Just been welding and was grinding the weld down. Then thought that could do with welding a little more. Stupid me left the grind function on the welding mask while welding up a hole. The mask isnt fully clear on grind function and has some sort of filter (will this of helped me?). WHen I first come out of the garage I could see a purple spot but that has now gone. I have no blurred vision yet and the incident happened about 0.5hours ago. Do I have to just wait and see what happens?

Thanks

 

[Wozzaaah]

If you just got a brief flash then I doubt you'll have any problems.

 

[koiboy]

It was for quite a while as I was attempting to fill a 3-4mm hole.

My own stupid fault. From now on I wont use the grind function on the helmet and use my safety goggles for grinding.

 

[bhillfan]

been a welder for over 20yrs making earth moving equipment and had 2 flashes in that time,last 1 being over 15yrs ago and it has been due to the fact that we have to wear safety glasses at all times whilst in the factory,lots of people welding all around so nobody lets anybody know when they are ready to spark up

message is clear wear safety glasses and you wont get a flash simples

 

[miranda michels]

cold tea for arc eye

I was told years ago to use a wet teabag for arceye, has any one else heard of this or is it "an old wives tale" ?

not an old wife or husband's tale.cold tea really works, best used like eyewash.also works with creosote or any nasty in the eye

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

Biiit of an old thread mate.

 

[jweaver]

Biiit of an old thread mate.

But its still been useful to drag it up as I wasnt aware of it and as a novice welder, I have learned a few things.

Specifically the tip of using a good pair of clear UV Googles under the mask... For £10 I am going to give them a go!

 

[KemppiFrog]

Bit bored, so read the whole thread. I was taught by an old school welder and he said that tea bags on the eyes were the best cure. Since that was when I was 11.... I hoped that science had moved on a bit.
Never had AE, plenty of flashes though. And a bit of sunburn from closed eye tacking.. Since I need specs for close work, and use them for welding. The glass protects one from UV. I think I mentioned before that Richard Fynman decided he wanted to see the first nuclear test at Los Alamos. (he was a physicist on the Manhattan Project) so he sat in a truck and watched it through the windscreen, as the massive UV pulse would have blinded him otherwise. Everybody else was either facing the rear with thick goggles or in bunkers. A certain confidance in ones science. But then, building the bomb really needed confidence in ones ideas. Quite a few people thought it would set fire to the atmosphere and end the world.
Our auto helmets are a direct result of the military spending massive amounts on goggles against nuclear flash.
KF

 

[Sparkyarcs]

Fact of life-if you do a lot of welding you will eventually get a flash,perk of the job i'm afraid.safety glasses help loads but will not prevent it fully if you are working as a team as an amount of uv may reflect.I always keep a few bags with water in the freezer in case I get one-it's not the end of the world-just seems that way at 3am when you are in agony