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Burned Eyes

55K views 154 replies 60 participants last post by  oldred 
#1 ·
Is there anything to do for burned eyes from welding? I'm in so much pain right now!!!
 
#52 ·
You apparently did not read this thread, DO NOT!!! put potatoes on your eyes :nono: This old myth, and that is what it is a MYTH, has been around about as long as welding and it can lead to an infection in your eyes that can cause a relatively minor problem to become a major problem. This has been explained over and over including in this thread so there is no point in going over the whole thing again. As far as drops there are several medications that can be used, although none I know of that are OTC, and a person needs to see a doctor for eye drops that will both bring relief from the pain and contain an antibiotic to prevent infection which is the biggest concern (and it may very well happen with a non-sterile "treatment" like a potato). :rolleyes:
 
#53 ·
I bought a auto darken helmet from a local weld supply place, the helmet is called Real Gear it has adjustable shades 9-13 i usually use a #10., I've only used it in my welding class at school but I am very happy with it. I realize I am a younger guy but I try not to take any chances after getting a hot spark from a torch in my eye working in a frame shop I went out and bought myself a personal pair of darkend glasses the next day.
 
#54 ·
welding flash home remedies

When it comes to welding flashes, this works almost every time ----

go to your electric stove, turn on the biggest element, let it come to bright glow, bring your face down to within approx. eight inches from the burner,and for 10 to 15 seconds holding your eyes wide open and let the heat draw out inflmation. Somewhere in the twenties someone discoverd this
method, still works today. By the way, if you get to close burn marks hurt like hell and cause scaring.Lincoln Kid
 
#55 ·
lincoln kid said:
When it comes to welding flashes, this works almost every time ----

go to your electric stove, turn on the biggest element, let it come to bright glow, bring your face down to within approx. eight inches from the burner,and for 10 to 15 seconds holding your eyes wide open and let the heat draw out inflmation. Somewhere in the twenties someone discoverd this
method, still works today. By the way, if you get to close burn marks hurt like hell and cause scaring.Lincoln Kid
That is the dumbest thing I think I have ever heard. Or a piss poor joke.

Heat does not draw out the effects of ultraviolet rays from your eyes.

.



later, mikey
 
#57 ·
lincoln kid said:
When it comes to welding flashes, this works almost every time ----

go to your electric stove, turn on the biggest element, let it come to bright glow, bring your face down to within approx. eight inches from the burner,and for 10 to 15 seconds holding your eyes wide open and let the heat draw out inflmation. Somewhere in the twenties someone discoverd this
method, still works today. By the way, if you get to close burn marks hurt like hell and cause scaring.Lincoln Kid
:confused: that is THEE STUPIDEST thing i EVER heard yet..yea just boil your eyeballs right out of your sockets..at'll take care of the weld flash ... :spank:
 
#61 ·
That potato trick is not a "dumb" idea it is just a bad idea (terrible idea actually) but it is easy to understand how someone could be mislead into believing it and I certainly would not considered anyone dumb for doing that, BUT common sense should keep anyone from holding burned eyes over a hot stove or a torch near a burn. The more I think about this the more convinced I am that it is a joke, at least I hope it is a joke!
 
#62 ·
I was watching Orange County Choppers yesterday.

I was real surprised to see they way they use a mig.

Several times during the show, a few of the different guys were welding with a mig with no helmet. Either with just sun glasses or no eye protection at all, they would line up the welder then look away and/or close there eyes when they pulled the trigger.

Seems pretty stupid to me and a bad example for the young and inexperienced watchers who may pick up a habit like that.

I know the show is really kind of staged. But I kind of think that this really is common practice for these guys. You would think they would have learned the hard way by now.
 
#63 ·
I'd like to thank SuthnCustoms for mentioning the thing about using reading glasses. I have a helmet I got from Cummins Tools, probably the same thing from Harbor Freight. I think I'll take the hood to a welding supply place and check out a corrective lens. I don't do a lot of welding, but I don't want to take any chances either! I've never had an eye burn thing, but I've heard welders talking about it. Seems to me a visit to the doctor or emergency room would be a wise move regardless of the degree of the injury, not only to get checked out, but it's your best shot at getting some pain relief.
 
#64 ·
roger1 said:
I was watching Orange County Choppers yesterday.

I was real surprised to see they way they use a mig.

Several times during the show, a few of the different guys were welding with a mig with no helmet. Either with just sun glasses or no eye protection at all, they would line up the welder then look away and/or close there eyes when they pulled the trigger.

Seems pretty stupid to me and a bad example for the young and inexperienced watchers who may pick up a habit like that.

I know the show is really kind of staged. But I kind of think that this really is common practice for these guys. You would think they would have learned the hard way by now.

You are right those shows are staged and really nothing short of just plain phony, I never bother to watch them anymore. As far as blind tacking with a MIG people do that all the time and I have been guilty of it myself but the fact is it is a dumb thing to do for a couple of reasons, not the least of which is the welder is just guessing at what he is doing. It may not be as dangerous as it first seems because no one actually looks at the arc (not after they have done it a couple of times anyway :) ) and the only UV exposure they get is a very short flash to any exposed skin on the head and neck, which is bad enough but not likely to cause much of a problem if only done occasionally. Having said that I will add that it is still a DUMB trick and is usually done because the welder is just simply too dang lazy to put his helmet on just to do a couple of small tacks, why those guys on tv do it is beyond me. Bottom line is DON'T DO THAT!! just like grinding without safety glasses, or worse using a cutting torch without them, sooner or later it is bound to get you.
 
#66 ·
I tack stuff like that all the time. I learned to do it a long time before OCC ever existed.

It is not lazy, or an ego boosting attempt at getting my face on camera. It is just faster to hold the part with one hand and tack it in place. Sometimes there is no clamp that will do the job anyway, and if you are as anti social as me, you rarely have someone around to hold the part..

So you tack a bunch of little pieces together then put your helmet on do the final welding. I do have an auto darken that I use alot, but usually the undarkened vision is so dark that you can't see the finer stuff. I do like my 1.25 power magnifying inserts alot...it's time for some 1.50 though... :(

Do a whole bunch of fabrication in and on cars and motorcycles and it will become second nature.

I have never gotten flashburn from doing that.

I can hear the tack being done correctly with my MIG. I still need my helmet to tack stuff with my TIG though, but I am getting better at holding a part AND the rod with one hand and the torch with the other.

If it is all fitted up nice a quick fuse can be made and no rod is needed.

Sometimes I tack stuff with my MIG, then do the final welding with the TIG.

Here is a set of handlebars I made the other day..About 18 pieces in all, only a few of the larger ones could be held in the fixture I made to build them.

And no one was there to see me do it.
Eat crap OCC.

later, mikey
 

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#67 ·
powerrodsmike said:
Eat crap OCC.

later, mikey

LOL, That was one of the shows I actually tried to watch and it would have been interesting without all the non-sense.

As far as blind tacking I probably have made a million of them with a stick welder by holding the welding rod between my fingers (With welding gloves!) to form a shield a few inches from the tip of the rod thus providing protection from the arc rays, still can't see what I am doing but like you said after a while it becomes second nature. Also have you tried the little shield attachment that clamps to the MIG gun that has a dark lens? It is kind of clumsy but there was a couple of times I managed to make some otherwise nearly impossible welds using one because of cramped space limiting room for a regular helmet. This thing does eliminate the problem of direct UV exposure when someone just turns their head or closes their eyes, this can cause problems over time if done often enough.
 
#68 ·
nice finish on the handlebars! OK, I admit it ! I also do some tack welding without a helmet, some places you just can't get your head in with a helmet on..Also I think welding with a TIG makes a nice looking (and strong) weld. I use to weld irrigation pipe, priority then was that they had to look nice. Wish I had one of those machines now !
 
#69 ·
oldred said:
As far as blind tacking I probably have made a million of them with a stick welder by holding the welding rod between my fingers (With welding gloves!) to form a shield a few inches from the tip of the rod thus providing protection from the arc rays, still can't see what I am doing but like you said after a while it becomes second nature. Also have you tried the little shield attachment that clamps to the MIG gun that has a dark lens? It is kind of clumsy but there was a couple of times I managed to make some otherwise nearly impossible welds using one because of cramped space limiting room for a regular helmet. This thing does eliminate the problem of direct UV exposure when someone just turns their head or closes their eyes, this can cause problems over time if done often enough.
I like the finger on the stick welding method. :thumbup:

I wind up having to weld stuff in places that I can barely fit my torch..I do have a set of gas welders goggles, fitted it with a # 10 lense. I can get in all kinds of tight places with that setup. I have even just taken a lense, and held it over the welding area, so I could watch what I was doing.

I have been practicing welding by mirror too, that's hard.


Later, mikey
 
#70 ·
Burned eyes

potato juice works a little
you got any co-cain
poor it in a bowel mate ,and put your head ,
oh , that was crock Mick Dundee's .cure for sinus .
you need drops at the eye doctor .
have you fellow burners ever burnt your finger tips and grab your bottom ear lobe?
it draws the burn out , old pot head trick .
what you have done is got a sun burn and now the outer layer of eye skin is drying up and pealing .
ouch it hurts like hell .
any you rodders get them nasty leg cramps at night in bed , try a bar of ivory soap .
place it under your bottom sheet at the foot of the bed .
they will start to go away ,i swear by it !
my aunt told me of it and sent me a add about it from a local news paper .
ivory soap ,try it .
it also gets rid of poison ivy ,wet it up and smear it on the infected area , dries it up quicker than that calamine crap .

no i'm not a doc , but i have stayed at a motel six , on route 66.
 
#71 ·
Oh man! Memories hahaha! Back when I was like a freshman in high school, I was workin for a place that fabricated custom semi trailers. Well, one day I was weldin crossmembers inside of an enclosed trailer, and since it was so dark in there I just couldnt use the mask, so as smart as I was, I was welding at a high voltage with no protection, just starin at the arc. Well, I thought it would be ok, but about six hours later, my eyes started to itch real bad. Big deal, right? But later that night, I woke up in seriously the WORST PAIN EVER! I tried the potato crap, I tried the wet towels, and nothin worked. I ended up spending the entire night rubbing my eyes as hard as I could with a washcloth just to subside it cuz everytime i blinked it felt like my eyelids were lined with 30 grit sandpaper. And when I went to school the next day I was pretty much blind and all my teachers kept sendin me to the office cuz they thought I was on hardcore drugs! Eventually it went away and I still have 20/20 vision, but the lesson is, just try to avoid the situation altogether and where your mask when your welding or torching, nomatter how long youve been doin it, cuz none of those remedies work like they are supposed to lol!
 
#72 ·
powerrodsmike said:
I have been practicing welding by mirror too, that's hard. later, mikey

Without a doubt that is the most difficult welding I have ever had to do. There was one particular job I had to do occasionally that required using a mirror for about 4 hours and no kidding for the next day or so afterward I would have difficulty welding the normal way!
 
#73 · (Edited)
normally I'd read the whole thread to see if someone covered my thoughts already but after two pages my eyes feel like the have arc flash. first of all let me start off saying I weld everyday so in other areas I might not know so much but with this I know alot. out of 7 years of welding I've only experience arc flash maybe 2-3 times. you should be able to weld without getting arc flash. also it is your responsibility, you the welder, to make sure no one around you gets arc flash. only weld with equipment that is in proper working condition, welding hood with no light leaks,no cracks,etc. stingers without damaged insulators , you get the point there are stupid things that can cause flash just because of equip. thats in poor condition. wear gloves, long sleeve cotton or leather, no polyester or plastics, welding sleeves work too. or if your really hot sunblock on your arms, though this is a bad combo with sweat oil and filings from a cutoff saw sticking to your arm. do not wear a white t shirt half the time people get flashed or rocked eyes its because of a white or light colored shirt reflecting the light to the inside of your lens burning your face and eyes and they don't even know thats what caused it. you can also use a hood bib. I have welded with no shirt barefooted, not very smart, a red hot ball between your toes is learning the hard way, which reminds me if you weld over head or under a car or whatever wear ear plugs because its not fun to hear the wax in your ear sizzle :welcome: . if you have a auto hood which most everyone does make sure the lens covers are clean a dirty lens can block the light sensors resulting in getting flashed. becareful welding in odd positions with a auto hood it can turn off in the weld light gets blocked from the sensors
( usually the reasoned I get flashed). wear glasses chipping slag, hot slag in your eye can result in blindness. I wear safety glasses under my hood unless its cold and they fog up. here is what to do if you do get flashed, I have heard potatoes work, in welding class that was actually home work, to put slices on your eyes for twenty min. and write a paper on how they feel after. I did not do it though. I found what works best for me is drops I got which are actually called eye lubricant, but visene helps also. second if you can get out of the light go to a dark room or wear your #5's. I saw something about milk some where on here, I don't think milk is for your eyes, I've heard to drink a bunch of milk if you accidently breath in galv smoke, which is very dangerous amongst other very toxic fumes assosiated with welding, another thing you should know about before you weld on something. :pimp: :embarrass another misnomer I have seen alot.. a guy cutting grinding all day with out glasses and at the end of the day complaining about arc flash when he really got dirt or filings in his eyes. getting metal drilled out of your eye is no fun, I always wear glasses even if I have to stop to find them because I misplace them which happens. bottom line if your eyes really bother you you should go to the doc..urgent care.. er whatever. your eyes are valuable I trip out on how people get into a rush without glasses on :nono: think about it what would you do if you were blind and think of all of the blind people that don't have a choice WEAR EYE PROTECTION, prevent flash. your eye is one of the fastest healing parts on your body, if they bother you for more then a day see a doc, there something wrong. if you cut your finger off would you tape it back on with a band aid?
 

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#74 ·
I do not disagree with anything you said and you have good advice there however I would like to add a couple of things.

mike's hotrods said:
. "if you have a auto hood which most everyone does make sure the lens covers are clean a dirty lens can block the light sensors resulting in getting flashed. becareful welding in odd positions with a auto hood it can turn off in the weld light gets blocked from the sensors."

Just for the record those hoods offer full UV protection even in the lightened phase and although it is a bit uncomfortable you will NOT get a flash burn from those things failing to go dark. Back when they first came on the scene there was quite a bit of concern about this but as the Jackson field rep told us "if there was ANY way you could burn your eyes from the light/rays entering that lens, dark or light, the product liability and workman's comp lawyers would put us out of business PDQ!" So even if it is a bit un-nerving when one fails to darken it is nothing to be concerned about and you will not get "flashed". There are all kinds of BS urban legend type sob stories around about some poor worker who did not want to use one but had to because his employer required it and then went blind because it was faulty and did not darken fast enough :rolleyes: , pure BS!



" in welding class that was actually home work, to put slices on your eyes for twenty min."

That instructor was just plain STUPID!! and I have to wonder what other welding non-sense he taught. :rolleyes: Also if anyone got an eye infection from doing that non-sense he probably had grounds for a good law suit against the school and that "instructor".



"I saw something about milk some where on here, I don't think milk is for your eyes, I've heard to drink a bunch of milk if you accidently breath in galv smoke"


That one is another very popular old welding MYTH but this one can KILL you! Milk MIGHT offer some relief from an upset stomach but if you are sick from Zinc poisoning that upset stomach is the least of your worries! If after welding on galvanized metal you start getting sick (the upset stomach is just the first symptom) then get to a doctor fast, VERY fast! If you experience a tightness in your chest you very well may have a fatal dose (You can die from this as much as a week after exposure) and it does not take a lot to do this and I guarantee milk is not going to save you!

This is one of the stupidest myths about welding safety. :nono:




"another misnomer I have seen alot.. a guy cutting grinding all day with out glasses and at the end of the day complaining about arc flash when he really got dirt or filings in his eyes."



What you are saying here is true HOWEVER it is possible to get a flash burn from a welding torch, contrary to popular belief. It is much harder to do but given enough time it will happen, faster when brazing than just cutting or welding. Like you said particles in the eyes are the worst hazard here but the solution is the same for both problems- WEAR EYE PROTECTION AT ALL TIMES!!!
 
#75 ·
re: Burned eyes

Alot of you know me by now on this forum. Well dont take any chances when welding, and i mean none. I am completely blind in my left eye, and am losing my vision fast in my right eye. I can see fair out to 8 to 12 inches, but after that its all a big blur. Im only 57 and cant drive anymore, and that took all the fun out of my love for car shows and taking my 1917 model T out for an evening drive. Please take it from me ok, its not worth not wearing a helmet it took my eyes away from me so i know. Now i have taught myself to do alot of things so i can still work in my shop, but cant build the cars you all get to build. Im still having fun now but it took some time to get over going blind. Its not easy to deal with, and i would not want to see any of you have to go though this. Wear that ***** helmet please.
 
#76 ·
Mrwood, testimonials from people in your situation are just heartbreaking but they say more about safety than all the "rules" put together. After being in the welding trade for so close to forty years it scares me I have have seen all too much of what you describe and to a much lesser extent even suffer some effects myself from ignoring the rules. Fellows please listen to what this man is saying it might just save you a lot of pain and anguish and DON'T listen to those "old welders tales" about how to prevent or take care of a welding injury.



DRINK MILK to prevent or cure metal fumes fever from Zinc poisoning! :drunk: That has got to be the about the stupidest thing I have heard about welding safety! (well almost anyway, after reading about holding burned eyes over a hot stove I am not so sure it is :rolleyes: ) But I guess the stove trick can just lead to blindness while the milk trick can KILL you!
 
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