Safety Glasses

[km3h 543]

I did something completely stupid Wednesday and it cost me two good days away from my Wheel Horses. I am restoring a 416-H and was using a wire brush to remove paint on a few pieces of metal. Now I have at least four pairs of safety glasses in the shop, two of which I just bought because they were on sale. You would think I would have enough sense to use them once in a while. 

 

I had to go to the emergency room and sit for at least five hours waiting to be seen. Finally a very good doctor started working on my eyes. He removed six pieces of grit from my eyes. They left several holes and I will have to go to my eye doctor and have her zap them with a lazar. Not a catastrophic event, but it sure could have been. I will never pick up a grinder or anything like it again without first putting on those glasses. 

[Ed Kennell 38,141]

Sorry to hear that Nick.  I am lucky my eyes are bad enough that  I must wear  my glasses to see.  Many years ago I was removing a  small trigger fuse from a racked out breaker for a 1000 H P motor and accidently shorted it to ground.  Turns out it was a poor design, and even though the breaker was totally racked out, the trigger fuse block was still connected to the main  buss.

Luckily  I was insulated correctly and did not receive a shock, but the heat and flash from the resulting explosion rendered me unconscious while melting the frames of my safety glasses, burning all the hair from my head and face and sun burning my face and eyes.  When I woke up about 5 minutes later, I was blind in both eyes except for a pinpoint of light.  The flash was so bright, it had welded the iris closed in both eyes. It took  about 1 hour for the iris to open.  I  had no permanent injuries due to having my glasses in position instead of up on my forehead where I see so many safety glasses.   Sorry  for the long story. but if one person keeps em on.  It was worth It.

[km3h 543]

Looks like we are both lucky. No permanent damage in either case. In your instance, it could have killed you. You are one lucky guy. Both my son and grandson are master electricians and have stories to tell. Seems like it is a pretty dangerous job, especially as you never know who was fiddling with the circuit before you got there.   

[Geno 1,929]

Glad both of you guys are ok.      I end up in the ER about every other year getting something out of my eye.  Last year the hospital couldn't find it because it was so small and they didn't have the magnifier thingy so they sent me to Wal-mart.  The Wal-Mart vision guy found it by seeing the rust ring and got it out.  I will go there first from now on, it was 30.00 including a follow up visit and the eye drops. 

[km3h 543]

Wal-Mart, wow that's good to know. I never thought of them. Could have saved a lot of time going there. Surprised the hospital would send you there. Glad it worked out for you. 

[Navig8r 132]

Notice my signature ... I only have one, so I tend to be very careful with it.  Glad you're OK!

[Wheel-N-It 2,968]

Thank God you guys survived this with no perminate damage. About 30 years ago I had to had a very small piece of steel removed from one of my eyes. The Dr. used a magnet. No damage here either but I am a big believer in safety glasses since!

[rmaynard 15,436]

Interesting and very important thread. I had an MRI on my cervical spine recently and the tech asked me what I did for work, and hobbies. She asked if I had ever worked in any trade where grinding, welding or any type of metal work had taken place. It seems that when having an MRI, if you ever got a piece of ferrous metal in your eye, and it wasn't removed, the MRI machine would remove it for you, possibly further damaging the eye in the process. I told her that I use a grinder, welder, and wire wheel in my hobby, but don't remember getting any debris in my eyes. I said that if I came out of the MRI with holes in my eyelids, that would prove that I was wrong.

[Geno 1,929]

Notice my signature ... I only have one, so I tend to be very careful with it.  Glad you're OK!

 

I thought the sig was just a statement, not a fact for you.   I heard that thousands of times growing up. 

[shallowwatersailor 3,213]

I use to work for the Bell System and needed to wear ugly safety glasses. One reason they are ugly is because the lens installs from the front unlike normal street glasses. That way the lens cannot be pushed in. We had a "Wise Owl" club with members who had saved their eyes through use of safety glasses.

 

Just today I was wirebrushing some wheels. Everything was set and then I thought - better put on the goggles. Twice I have had a blister on my right cornea through a foreign object getting in my eye. It is unbelievable the pain that causes.

[Ed Kennell 38,141]

Interesting and very important thread. I had an MRI on my cervical spine recently and the tech asked me what I did for work, and hobbies. She asked if I had ever worked in any trade where grinding, welding or any type of metal work had taken place. It seems that when having an MRI, if you ever got a piece of ferrous metal in your eye, and it wasn't removed, the MRI machine would remove it for you, possibly further damaging the eye in the process. I told her that I use a grinder, welder, and wire wheel in my hobby, but don't remember getting any debris in my eyes. I said that if I came out of the MRI with holes in my eyelids, that would prove that I was wrong.

And.... now you can see with your eyes closed....right ?   

[km3h 543]

I had an appointment with the eye doctor today. She looked my eyes over for some time and pronounced me stupid, but lucky. I promised her I would never do that again and I won't. I relize how very lucky I was and how much it hurt before it was removed. No More.......

[Navig8r 132]

I thought the sig was just a statement, not a fact for you.   I heard that thousands of times growing up. 

Although it is a fact for me, I have a great sense of humor, and am always making eye/one-eye jokes and jokes about myself...Often I say "It's all fun & games until somebody loses an eye.. because then I have to find it, etc..."  And "There is no "I" in team, but there IS one "eye" in me!"

Gotta laugh at what comes our way..... As Jimmy Buffett said "If we couldn't laugh, we would all go insane"

 

But seriously guys... take care of 'em..... prosthetics are expensive!

[specialwheelhorse 174]

I'm sure glad I must wear glasses, for I have picked little wires out of my clothes

And a time or two or more out of my body but thankfully never out of my eyes.

My wire wheels just seem to shed a few now and then in my direction

[km3h 543]

Simply wearing eye glasses is not enough. I also wear eye glasses and got junk in both eyes. I now wear wrap around glasses or full goggles when I work with any type of grinder or wire brush and even when I use a chisel. I never want to go through that again.

[doc724 925]

I always wear safety glasses with side shields when using wire wheels, grinders, circular, radial or table saws, drill presses and weed whackers.  Sometimes even they are not enough as I get hit in other parts of the face by fine wires, small chips and dog poop (when weed whacking).   A full face shield is the way to go!

[AMC RULES 37,130]

After reading this...I've just ordered my full face grinding shield guys...

should have had one all along, thanks for the tip.      

[km3h 543]

I hesitated to start this thread but now I am glad I did. It looks like I was not the only dummy up here. If it saves one person from getting a punctured eye it served its purpose.

[AMC RULES 37,130]

I'm your dummy. 

[km3h 543]

Listen, don't holler High Ho Silver, because you sure ain't the Lone Ranger!!!! There are a lot of us who are old enough to make better choices.

[AMC RULES 37,130]

That's why us "young bucks" are hanging around here...

to learn from you older "more mature" bucks.     

[Geno 1,929]

I have several full face sheilds, the all clear ones.  The bad thing is I use this type of hurt your eyes equipment in the shop on a daily basis and get in habit of not using it.  I get a lot of stuff out of my eyes myself, then when I have to go get someone else to remove it I get better for awhile... 

 

Thanks for all the great comments here and to you Nick for starting the thread.  I've got to do better. 

[sluggo 40]

Both of my pairs of sunglasses are safety glasses. One of pairs actually has readers built into the bottom. So if I am outside, I am OK.

[Don1977 604]

I got glasses when I was 6 that was 66 years ago. I can't remember ever having glasses with out a few chips in them from grinding, weed-eating or other reasons when I got a new pair. I have no idea how many times my eyes have been saved by my glasses. My last pair was around $700 so I'm trying to remember to use safety glasses over them.

These new glasses are about half the size of the ones I had 30 years ago.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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