The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Rust in eye!

Here's a public safety notice to everyone. Two weeks ago, I was wire wheeling the rust off of my 53 2-ton, wearing safety glasses, dust mask and ear muffs. The next day, my left eye was killing me! Went to the local ER and had 3 particles of rust drilled from my left eye. Learning from my mistakes, I'm wearing goggles now instead of safety glasses. Yesterday, my right eye was killing me. Went to the local ER again and had rust embedded in my right eye deep enough the Doc had to drill the same spot twice to get it out.

Moral here: You prolly heard this a million times but make sure you're wearing the proper PPE, and when you're done with any dusty job, don't take off the PPE until the dust clears the room or just step outside to do it. Even the rusty dust in the air is enough to damage your eyes! My eyes are fine, thank GOD, with no long term effects on my vision.

Just wanted to let fellow bolters aware of some of the dangers.

thanks for that info. i hate getting any thing in my eye.

It's the same with welding, don't do that difficult start without eye protection!

As a welder of 20 plus years,normaly eye protection as in safty glasses are adiquate,as with using a power tool the item has to hit something before it enters the eye and is slowed down a whole lot, and hopefully won't embed into the eye.With that being said always wear safty protection.Most items that are imbeded in to the eye are embeded when you whipe your eyes with your fingers or a rag as in wiping sweat.Particles are placed opon the eye lashes and then transfered to the eye itself by rubbing the eye. Remember don't wipe your eyes if you have been in an envorment where particles can be transfered from a rag to wiping you eyes. Hope this educates somepeople about cleaning there eyes,and if you use a rag don't use any thing unless it just came out of the drier.(I.E."T" shirts)and never use a comon red rags that we are all famiular with, cause they have steel particles embeded in the from previous use.

That happens to me on a regular basis. It's definately no fun,
Scott

Beaver, That is excellent advice. I have always used safety equopment and I have never gotten anything in my eye while working a piece.

It is after, when I take the eye protection off that I have done things that led to ER visits.

I have had wood , metal and rust removed....none of them were any fun.

Rich

been there done that... aint no fun...

PPE will keep you Happy

Yep there is nothing like looking up at an eye surgeon with a mini drill in his hand to make you ALWAYS wear goggles. Don't ask me how I know...

I mysteriously got metal splinters in my eyes long ago but I wasn't working on my truck at that time. I couldn't close my eye because the splinter rubbed against the inside of my lid. This made sleep impossible. I was fit to be tied. Went to the eye doc and he removed some metal filings. I finally figured out from where it came..... At the time I was going to school and was doing some amature boxing. At the college gym they had a heavy bag hung with a large steel hook which hung over a piece of thick V-shaped steel attached to the ceiling. The constant swaying of that heavy bag was wearing the metal down. I took a wet paper towel and wiped the top of the heavy bag and it was black with metal shavings! I went to the athletics department and told them of the hazard. They did nothing..... One of the splinters had lodged far into my lid and twenty years later I could still feel a slight bump and at times it would scratch my eye. A few months ago it finally worked its way out through the OUTSIDE of my lid with a little persuasion. FINALLY, no more scratchy eye feeling. :rolleyes:

A couple of years ago I had the rusty steel in the eye experience. Since I was wearing goggles the entire time I was cutting I could not figure out what had happened. Now I understand, it must have been from wiping sweat or dirt off my face.

It did not feel good.

Fiberglass can be a real pain in the eye, also. I was doing some fiberglass work about 20 years ago and wasn't wearing any eye protection. That was a big mistake. Had to make a visit to the eye doctor and have some drill work done to remove fiberglass particles. Not a pleasant experience.

I'll tell you something else that can happen. I got some metal in my eay some years ago, I was changing shocks on a Chrysler 5th ave. I didn't really notice any thing until the next day, but it was a Saturday, so i could't see a doctor until Monday. Well, I got it taken care of, but a few years later, I suddenly had the a problem in the same part of the same eye. Well, I thought that there was something in it. The doctor couldn't see anything. It turned out that i had developed a condition called "Recurrent Corneal Adheason". It was caused by the original injury. Basicly what happens is that the tears thicken in the scar tissue and act as a glue, sticking the cornea to the eyelid, mainy during sleep. When you open your eyes, it actually pulls off a layer of the cornea. Very uncomfortable, feels like a bucket of sand in your eye. The only treatment is anti biotics and atificial tears to lubricate the eye.
Not fun at all.