Arc Eye !! AHHH shit I was in agony

S

Standingup

New member
Anyone know what " Arc Eye " is ? I was welding in tight quarters yesterday with my MIG and not using any face shield . Ive done it hundreds of times and gotten away with it but oh my god last night was pure misery and pain.

Basically its a severe sunburn on your eye balls, my corneas and retinas were scorched .

I felt ok till I went to bed then woke up an hour later feeling like someone poured glass in my eyes. I didnt think Id be able to work today but I got my eyes open around 4:00 am just enough to squint and wore sunglasses all day. Im deffinitely getting better but vision is very blurry , screen is very hard to look at for more than a few minutes.

I know in a couple of days I'll be fine but if anyone knows any tips tricks or methods to ease the pain and speed up recovery Id sure appreciate it.
 
S

siegmund

Moderator
Never actually had it , but know alot of my acquaintances that I did , even when there welding I or for that matter Staline tanks , speeled wrong most likely , but I know
 
M

milkin

Moderator
I never burn without eye protection, even if it's just a tack. You know what you are doing I am sure, and laying a small bead or a few tacks is nothing, even with a mig, but the consequences are severe. Keep them balls lucubrated bro but say away from strong eye drops.
 
Outlawthing

Outlawthing

Member
My brother did the same thing this week came to work next day could hardly hold his eyes open. Here is a better one years ago was in a hurry and a friend needed help did some welding in flip flops( dumb ass) it cooked my feet like the worst sun burn ever
 
S

Standingup

New member
Much much better today. I was wondering if anyone had any tricks though. Yes I know I should be wearing a shield but sometimes when you get your head up under a subframe behind a shock tower its hard to fit so you just figure " I'll be quick " .
 
K

krisbr

Guest
If you cut raw potato into slices and put them on your eyes it helps. It still sucks but it decreases recovery time. The old welders I worked with claimed it sucked the irritants out. I'm sure there is a more scientific reason why it helps.
 
M

MF88

New member
krisbr said:
If you cut raw potato into slices and put them on your eyes it helps. It still sucks but it decreases recovery time. The old welders I worked with claimed it sucked the irritants out. I'm sure there is a more scientific reason why it helps.
Click to expand...
The starch has an anti inflammatory effect I believe.
 
K

krisbr

Guest
Oh I know. It's happened to me several times. Believe it or not the worst I've had it was using a cutting torch on a cloudy day. Could use a cutting torch all day on a bright day but those clouds fucked me pretty good. I went in to work the next day and everyone knew what happened. I was hurting bad.
 
B

Bigstick_00

New member
Hey standing, quit being complacent and wear the eye protection! You only have the eyes God gave you, and can't order a new pair! This has happened to me before and a coworker. Felt like someone grabbed a handful of sand and threw it in my eyes! Get a pair of #4 or #5 shade burning glasses. Mig machines give off terrible radiation and will burn you before you feel it!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top