Wearing saftey glasses or prescription glasses under the hood or when just tacking will help with flash burn. They reflect the light somewhat when you get a quick flash. Darkened safety glasses really help. Always wear a hood. Never never never just turn your head away from a flash when tacking or being near someone who is welding. 80% of all burns enter your eyes from the side because you think your not getting the rays when looking sideways.. You are !
I had the flash burn years ago. An eyedrop called Pontocaine solved it. However, you need a doctor's prescription to get it.
The first time I ever used a welder the old guy that was teaching me didn't use a hood. I figured I wouldn't either...I welded all day like that . when I got home it welt like I had a sun burn.... a couple of hours later my eyes felt like I had dumped sand in them....really sucked....I called the guy and he said ...oh shit...put some tatters on them....I laughed it off and went to the ER. When I was there they put some drops in my eyes that instantly helped. I was just about readdy to swipe the drops and go home when the nurse said that the drops int he ER were not recomended for long term use and that the drops could actually damage the eye so bad that I could go blind... She said her husband is a welder and when it happens to him he puts Potatoes on his eyes and it work better than anything the Dr. can give him... Next time I got the "burns" I did the tatter bit. worked real well. ALWAY wear a helmet. I use the auto darkening ones cause it is easier.
My Pops was a welder all my life. I saw him have flash enough that I always wear something no matter how tight of a spot it is. This past week working on the '37 pick up it was tight and I had to wear googles. I got a suntan (well, actually burn...that's what happens when your blonde and you live in arctic Ohio in the middle of January) and now I'm kind of peely. But it beats the heck out of not having an eye anymore. Just think of it this way....no eyesight no more reading the HAMB or building hot rods!
fresh breast milk or vaginal secreations directly applied from source and you will forget all about even having eyes <grin>
Be there, done that! It sucks BAD! I went to the emergency room at 2am and they put liquid cocaine in my eyes, the pain went right away, for about 15 minutes! I felt like a big baby, but dam they sure hurt! The doc told me that he could tell that I had done this before, which I had, and gave me the speech about you only having one set of eyes! Guy`s,never weld without eye protection or you`ll pay this price. It hurts like hell! Sorry Groucho, but I have never had any luck with the home brewed remedies. It`ll get better though! We learn as we go!
My experience I've had flash and I've been told the potato trick works by everyone I've talked to, but I've never tried it. Once, I had the same 'sandblasted eye' feeling, but only in one eye, and it didn't heal right away like the first time. Drops didn't do shit either. I talked to my sister (a nurse) and she told me I most likely had something in my eye that was continuing to scratch my eye. She told me to flush my eyes out really well with water. I stood in my bathtub and poured glass after glass of water in my eye, and sure enough, a few hours later, I was better. I wouldn't suggest that if you're pretty sure you have flash, but if it's persistant and it turns out not to be flash, you might have something in your eye that needs to be flushed out. Someone is currently selling used Speedglas welding helmets on eBay for $35 starting bid. Get one. I paid $300+ for mine 5 years ago when they were pretty much new. I'm a much better welder with the helmet, plus it saves my eyes and it's so much easier to use than a flipdown or the useless "turn away" method. Using the helmet in the off position is about a 5 or 6 shade, so it works well for torch cutting/welding too. Worth the $ just for the ease of welding, not to mention the health benefits.
It happened one too many times for me so I purchased a gun mounted shield for tack welds. It flexes for tight spots.I may still close my eyes,but I know this helps http://www.accustrike.com/mig.htm
been there and got the t-shirt no real ideas for you, taters work for some. . . but i'd avoid the saline eyedrops. . . think salt in a wound if them blisters pop worst flash i ever got was when i was about 5' away from a lightning strike... had the sand in the eyes for almost a week
No, & Don't do that. Sunburns from your welding on your skin will disappear, but sunburns in your corneas (eyeballs) aren't cool... And, always wear your goggles/safety glasses while grinding, etc. Even though I did wear eye protection: there's nothing worse than having to go to your eye doctor on Christmas Day to make sure the rust in your eye isn't spreading. I only wanted them to grind away my cornea ONCE. You get one pair of eyes in your life; protect them. Being blind sucks. mercman1951
For weldind in tight spots where the welding helmet won't fit like under dashboards and such I put a arc welding shade(#10 I think) in my extra gas welding googles. Also put a magnifying lens on them. works great, saves the eyes
I had this happen and went to the doc. He said I had some minor burns and put some numbing drops and said go straight to sleep. He said nine times out of ten sleep is better than any drug cause thats when the eye heals it self.
You need a filter, I use a 2 or 3 strength with a small tip, 5 with larger tip, you can tell by what the puddle looks like. Withoug filter, you cant' see the puddle.
thats what worked for me the 3 or 4 times i did it. nothing else works... the numbing agent lets you go on with your business while your eyes fix themselves. so...just wear a helmet. i try to only do 3-4 seconds of no helmet welding a day at most... after that i cover up those eyes... i paid alot for my lasik and dont wanna mess anything up... you only got 2 so be carefull.
The Jalopy Journal
