Flash Burn

[andyman]

how long does it usually take to go heal??? and do i NEED to visit my eye doctor? i saw somewhere to stop wearing contacts until it heals so i took them out wearing an old pair of glasses.

i was helping a welding build a railing on a deck in the field and i was holding the pickets for him and figured looking away was enough well we did about 100 tacs that day and i came home and my face felt a little sun burnt and the bottom corner of my eye was red. it looks worse now. i have very little discomfort in my eye except for when i wake up and nothing abnormal with vision no spots or anything like that. BUT i am wearing my hood now when i help, eyes are very important and i'd like to protect what little eye sight i have left.

[popspipes]

Flashburn feels like you eyes have sand in them, and is painful. I would tend to think you have gotten something in it if its only in one area of one eye. Probably wouldnt hurt to see a doctor if it persists.

[kcstott]

A little discomfort is not flash burn. As stated above you may have something your eye.
Flash burn feels like someone shot you in the face with pepper spray. I got burnt once and woke up a 2 am with what felt like acid in my eyes. Nothing I could do would would relieve the pain i just had the let it run it's course. Took about twenty minutes to settle down felt like forever.
That was fourteen years ago And I haven't been burnt since. Always wear a hood with the proper lens shade.

[aametalmaster]

Try a hot Tea Bag on your eye and see if that helps...Bob

[m.k.swelding]

IT feels like salt was put in your eyes and Any of the times i got it My eyes felt funny for about a day.

[Grumpy]

Here's the deal. ALWAYS WEAR EYE PROTECTION!!!! PERIOD!!!

[nfinch86]

IT feels like salt was put in your eyes and Any of the times i got it My eyes felt funny for about a day.

Hi, If you have a Weldors Flash, It Does Not Feel Funny !!

In My younger days I had Hundreds, maybe thousands, Welding on a production line . When you flip your shield up the other Weldor is Welding !
No such thing as an Auto Darkening Welding Shield in them days !!
I Welded for another 30yrs. before in needed to wear reading glasses, been wearing them now for 12yrs. for reading & Welding !!

.............. Norm

[mikeswelding]

safetydave, no forgiveness necessary. Your repost is extremely valuable, especially for younger welders or those just entering the field. Us old-timers have all been subjected to the usual initiation rituals as being sent to get a "left-handed crescent wrench" or a "skyhook," along with some medical advice that may not have any validity. It's good for everyone to take a critical look at some of these assumptions.

The value of this forum is that it gives all of us the opportunity to examine and test commonly held notions, whether related to running 3/32 7014 downhill, or cures for flash burn.

Good for you on the new job. You clearly have the skills and ability, or you would not be in that position. And yes, our thoughts are with the poor guy who had a stroke.

Keep on welding!

[popspipes]

I used to get flashburn regularly till I started to wear reading glasses, then it stopped, I guess the plastic in the lens blocks some of the UV rays or something.
The potato slices I used at about 5 years old, I watched my father weld a drawbar on a tractor from a distance, I only did that once!!
My mother was a nurse and she said if they worked fine, one thing it did for sure was keep me from rubbing my eyes............

In the early 60's we had eye drops for it, they would stop the pain immediately, worked to well so they took them off the market. I think it was a type of anesthetic.