Worried about Arc eye

[andy m]

Had a e in both eyes at same time. My fault, helping to hold some frame work together when it was being tacked up without protection, it didn't kick in until later that night then I paid the price.

 

[pete23]

feck me, live with it for a day, live and learn, wont fecking kill you, just a tad sore.

 

[KemppiFrog]

Not arc-eye, but I knew a guy who gas welded for a day without goggles. He burned the centre of his retina, resulting in a blind spot when looking straight ahead. Permanent too.

 

[gjh]

I copped my first flash in just one of my eyes 5 days ago *I think*.. only a accidental split second flash while I was flipping down my dark lens. Felt like mild sand behind the eye straight away for 3 hours duration only.

Felt normal next day, but when I started Monday my normal working job in IT looking at monitors all day.. my flashed eye seems more dry and irritable now even after this long since the event. Using eye drops to keep the eye luped up but seems to dry out and making its presence felt in general. Never had a problem with dry eyes before.

Edit - Ah I might just incoincidentally actually have something in the same eye that got flashed feels like a stuck eye lash thats making its way to the corner of eye (ie. tear duct area) that might explain why it feels funny today. Anyways seeing Dr tonight just to be on the safe side.

 

[secretsmoker]

I had a similar issue; what I thought to be arc eye initially actually turned out to be a 3mm splinter of rusty mx5 embedded in the region known as the limbus.

Extreme hayfever type symptoms to begin with which quickly became more painful with an extreme intolerance to bright light. In the end I had to go to eye casualty to have the nurse gouge it out under anesthetic using a little spikey implement.

Lesson learned. Always use goggles even when just peering under a rusty japmobile.

 

[gjh]

Yeah its weird. I dont think its ARC eye since only split second flash one time and it was fine after 3 hours. but next day I was grinding metal from the Corolla. I was wearing safety glasses and it was mainly grinding dust. I was definitely fine after that.

What felt like an eye lash yesterday, feels okay this morning just dull ache or feels like pressure build up.. I do feel pressure in my sinuses. Dr yesterday couldnt find anything in my eye and no injury detected with dye test. Perhaps sinus infection from rusty grind dust ?

 

[Browser]

.....Our auto helmets are a direct result of the military spending massive amounts on goggles against nuclear flash.
KF

You may know this already, but Norman Tebbit the MP was a Vulcan pilot in the RAF. Their MO when flying towards a target with a nuke on board was to put a pirate-style eyepatch over one eye, drop the bomb then get teh hell out of dodge. When the bomb detonated the flash blinded them in one eye, at which point they whipped off the eyepatch and flew on using their good eye, to a hopefully sypathetic nation in the middle-east as they didn't have the on-board fuel to fly to Moscow and back to the UK!

 

[BeeJay99]

You may know this already, but Norman Tebbit the MP was a Vulcan pilot in the RAF. Their MO when flying towards a target with a nuke on board was to put a pirate-style eyepatch over one eye, drop the bomb then get teh hell out of dodge. When the bomb detonated the flash blinded them in one eye, at which point they whipped off the eyepatch and flew on using their good eye, to a hopefully sypathetic nation in the middle-east as they didn't have the on-board fuel to fly to Moscow and back to the UK!

"Delivering buckets of instant sunshine" an ex V-force mate of mine called it.

 

[Sparkeeeeey]

How soon do you get arc eye? Ie would it start less than 24hrs after you last welded? Or could it start 48hrs later?

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

Couple of hours after weldoing or usually early evening and through the night

 

[simplysimon]

How soon do you get arc eye? Ie would it start less than 24hrs after you last welded? Or could it start 48hrs later?

I think it will depend on how much exposure you've had, I've only had it bad once when I was about 15 (very much my own fault) from about 1/2 -1 minute of welding and that took around 4Hrs for my eyesight to start blurring and 6Hrs to start hurting and lasted for around 24Hrs.. the worse part for me was the helplessness, there is no over the counter medication you can put in your eyes to relieve the pain.

Photokeratitis or ultraviolet keratitis

 

[norlander]

Couple of hours after weldoing or usually early evening and through the night

yep came on early evening when I had it.

 

[Lawnmowerboy]

Tea bags!!

 

[KemppiFrog]

Tea bags!!

That was the advice from the guy who taught me welding, he also smoked several packs of Capstan Full Strength a day. Luckily I have never had a-e, or smoked, apart from a few behind the bike sheds.

 

[the snooper]

I had it once and it probably started around 8 hours after I had finished, eyes start to sting at first as thought you are tired and then all hell breaks lose terrible experience one to be missed

 

[brewdexta]

I have a funny feeling I just did a couple of small welds with my grinding face mask which is completely clear, apart from the grime. It was next to my welding mask and I was so engrossed with what I was doing that I may have picked up the wrong one.

Its been about 2 hours since and I have a few faint bright spots in front of my eyes but I may just be getting paranoid and did use the right mask, no pain or soreness yet. Polycarbonate does have UV filtering properties but not sure if its enough to stop damage from about 10 to 20 seconds of welding.

 

[ajlelectronics]

That was the advice from the guy who taught me welding, he also smoked several packs of Capstan Full Strength a day. Luckily I have never had a-e, or smoked, apart from a few behind the bike sheds.

When I went behind the bike sheds, it certainly wasn't for smoking. ;-)

 

[KemppiFrog]

When I went behind the bike sheds, it certainly wasn't for smoking. ;-)

Well, Lucky you! Mine was a boys only school

 

[the snooper]

I have a funny feeling I just did a couple of small welds with my grinding face mask which is completely clear, apart from the grime. It was next to my welding mask and I was so engrossed with what I was doing that I may have picked up the wrong one.

Its been about 2 hours since and I have a few faint bright spots in front of my eyes but I may just be getting paranoid and did use the right mask, no pain or soreness yet. Polycarbonate does have UV filtering properties but not sure if its enough to stop damage from about 10 to 20 seconds of welding.

10 to 20 seconds is a long time

 

[Kent]

I have a funny feeling I just did a couple of small welds with my grinding face mask which is completely clear, apart from the grime. It was next to my welding mask and I was so engrossed with what I was doing that I may have picked up the wrong one.

Its been about 2 hours since and I have a few faint bright spots in front of my eyes but I may just be getting paranoid and did use the right mask, no pain or soreness yet. Polycarbonate does have UV filtering properties but not sure if its enough to stop damage from about 10 to 20 seconds of welding.

What? 10- 20seconds of welding? how do you do that by mistake? I mean there is no way you could see the pool right enough! I must of flashed myself thousands of times just quickly and have never suffered as a result - just shut your eyes instantly!