Hi guys, I'm a first time poster here and I am looking for some help and hope. I have been hobbyist mig welding for the past 5 years or so. I weld very infrequently, no more than once a month, doing amateur automotive restoration type work. My eyes never used to bother me welding before. In the past year, even my infrequent, very short duration welding projects have caused my eyes to really bother me starting several hours after my welding. I get eye pain that is light sensitive, and it will last several days after I have stopped welding. I went out and bought a Miller $250 auto dark helmet so I could easily adjust the darkness to get as dark as I could still barely see, and that did not help at all. I also bought some UV goggles that seal to my face, to wear under my helmet, to make sure stray UV was not leaking around the sides of the mask from off of reflective surface. Finally, I tried using a cloth draped around the mask to seal off any stray light from even entering around the sides of the mask. Nothing has helped and I still end up with very noticeable eye pain even after welding for only a few minutes.
I do have dry eyes, and the welding does seem to leave me with even drier eyes afterwards. My eyes do get slightly scratchy sometimes for the few days they bother me afterwards, but it does not sound like the "sand in eyes" symptoms of arc burn. I don't wake up in the night from the pain and it never feels extremely gritty, just moreso general pain/feeling of pressure around the eyes that takes several days to go away.
I have seen several good eye doctors when I have had pain after welding, and they didn't really know why. They said I have no evidence of an arc burn on my eyes and other than being very dry, my eyes are fine. One doctor told me, if welding bothers your eyes, don't weld. Of course that is the most conservative approach, but I really hope I can continue to do the very small amount of welding I do.
What I don't understand, is that how my eyes can possibly bother me if I am using good quality protective gear, and the welding helmet blocks nearly 100% of UV and IR. What type of light could possibly be getting past my safety gear that would bother me? Like I said I even tried draping a cloth around my helmet, AND wearing UV goggles that seal around my eyes, to be certain that I am not getting flashed from UV bouncing off my clothing, the floor, etc.
Does anyone else who welds and has very dry eyes, have welding bother their eyes? I would appreciate any input from you guys. There is no way I am getting a flash burn w/ the amount of protective gear I have tried, but there is definitely some way my eyes are light sensitive to some aspect of welding light that is getting past the safety gear.
I am not normally bothered by any other type of light other than welding. Although my eyes are dry, I am not bothered by bright sunlight or anything like that. I am not dry enough to normally require drops except for long hours in front of a computer screen.
Thank you so much!!
Steve from Southern Maryland
I do have dry eyes, and the welding does seem to leave me with even drier eyes afterwards. My eyes do get slightly scratchy sometimes for the few days they bother me afterwards, but it does not sound like the "sand in eyes" symptoms of arc burn. I don't wake up in the night from the pain and it never feels extremely gritty, just moreso general pain/feeling of pressure around the eyes that takes several days to go away.
I have seen several good eye doctors when I have had pain after welding, and they didn't really know why. They said I have no evidence of an arc burn on my eyes and other than being very dry, my eyes are fine. One doctor told me, if welding bothers your eyes, don't weld. Of course that is the most conservative approach, but I really hope I can continue to do the very small amount of welding I do.
What I don't understand, is that how my eyes can possibly bother me if I am using good quality protective gear, and the welding helmet blocks nearly 100% of UV and IR. What type of light could possibly be getting past my safety gear that would bother me? Like I said I even tried draping a cloth around my helmet, AND wearing UV goggles that seal around my eyes, to be certain that I am not getting flashed from UV bouncing off my clothing, the floor, etc.
Does anyone else who welds and has very dry eyes, have welding bother their eyes? I would appreciate any input from you guys. There is no way I am getting a flash burn w/ the amount of protective gear I have tried, but there is definitely some way my eyes are light sensitive to some aspect of welding light that is getting past the safety gear.
I am not normally bothered by any other type of light other than welding. Although my eyes are dry, I am not bothered by bright sunlight or anything like that. I am not dry enough to normally require drops except for long hours in front of a computer screen.
Thank you so much!!
Steve from Southern Maryland
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