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  #1  
Old 02-17-2014, 12:04 AM
longranger's Avatar
longranger longranger is offline
 
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Default Safety Glasses vs. Face Shield

I've always used wrap around safety glasses when running the cutoff wheel. Tonight while trimming the longerons, I found that glasses, even the wrap around type, aren't adequate eye protection for the task. Evidently the glasses had slid down my nose slightly and either a piece of abrasive or aluminum dust found its way into my left eye. I was hoping the massive amount of tearing would flush out what ever it was and relieve the irritation, but it was not to be.

Another half hour of flushing with saline and direct spray in the shower with no improvement convinced me it was time to head for what passes for an emergency room here. Two hours later I was diagnosed with a corneal abrasion. The good news is that the doctor saw no remaining foreign objects in my eye, and it should heal in a day or so.

The anesthetic only lasted an hour, and the doctor warned me not to use it more often than I absolutely have to, so I currently am not a happy camper...

Bottom line: FROM NOW ON I WILL ALWAYS WEAR A FACE SHIELD WHEN RUNNING A CUTOFF OR ABRASIVE WHEEL!!
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  #2  
Old 02-17-2014, 07:54 AM
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Miles sorry to hear that. Hope you get well soon.
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  #3  
Old 02-17-2014, 08:01 AM
TShort TShort is offline
 
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Miles - sorry to hear about your eye! As an ER doc I've seen lots of injuries like that, so I am crazy about wearing eye protection. Sometimes I wear both the glasses and the face shield!

If the anesthetic you were given is tetracaine drops for the eye, I would generally avoid using those. The recommendation is that they not be sent home with patients, as prolonged / repeated use may delay healing and cause other problems. My guess is the doc knew you were a reasonable guy, and gave them to you with the intent that you'd use them maybe once a day when falling asleep, but not repeatedly.

Fortunately corneal abrasions heal pretty quickly, so you should be back at it soon! Good luck!
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  #4  
Old 02-17-2014, 11:57 AM
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Thanks for the encouragement, Axel and Thomas!

Thomas, that is exactly what the ER doc said about the tetracine drops. The dose he administered only lasted an hour, and I almost knuckled under just to get to sleep last night, but a couple of 400mg doses so of ibuprofen about 2hrs apart got me through it. Today it's just a mild irritation, but I'm on my way to see an ophthalmologist to follow up.

I feel good enough to get back on the project this afternoon, but not before hitting the orange big box store to replace the face shield i don't wear due to broken head band....
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  #5  
Old 02-17-2014, 05:55 PM
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acam37 acam37 is offline
 
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Default Personal protective equipment

As a safety tech. in the oil and gas industry I've seen my share of eye injuries.
The most common issue I find when it comes to grinding and cutting is improper PPE. You should wear safety goggles with a face shield to properly protect your eyes from grinders, cut-off and wire wheels. Also it is a good idea to leave the guards on the tool if it is equipped with one.
I preach safety in the workplace and tell the guys it also carries over to the home. Just how many actually take my advice is anyone's guess.
Hope you have a speedy recovery.
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  #6  
Old 02-17-2014, 06:34 PM
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I feel obligated to weigh in here, this is kinda what I do...

First, as far as the safety glasses, tight-fitting spectacles that meet ANSI Z87.1 are good, although a full face shield is better but more cumbersome. The small stuff that gets around spectacles into the eye is "low speed" and generally gets stuck on the surface, where it is painful and annoying, but generally not sight threatening. Grinders/dremels etc are some of the most common offenders, but some of the worst injuries I've seen are from broken drill bits, tire failures, and batteries exploding. Also anything that involves striking hardened steel with a steel hammer (like driving a nail)

Please be careful when connecting/charging batteries and airing tires, as many people don't consider the possibility of eye injury.

If you do get something in your eye, many ERs and the vast majority of "minor meds" aren't well equipped to deal with it, so you're better off finding an ophthalmologist if you can.

If you do find yourself in a ER and they give you tetracaine (or proparacaine or anything else to "numb" the eye) politely refuse except for a single dose to allow a thorough exam. Giving a patient anesthetic drops to take home is a really bad idea. Kind of like cleaning your paint with MEK. I still unfortunately see this on at least a monthly basis and make a point to call the ER doc directly to educate them. I have seen permanently lost eyes, and have to do emergent corneal transplants once or twice a year for this. There are ways to manage the pain, but anesthetic drops are not a good one.

Also don't use steroid drops unless you're very sure what you're treating, even though they make the eye feel better. It's quite common that patients will have leftover drops from an eye surgery (or a family member does) and put them in out of desperation. This increases the chance of an infection.
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  #7  
Old 02-17-2014, 07:08 PM
BillL BillL is online now
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flyeyes View Post
. . . <snip>

If you do get something in your eye, many ERs and the vast majority of "minor meds" aren't well equipped to deal with it, so you're better off finding an ophthalmologist if you can. <snip>
+1 I had the same experience with just a shield on a bench grinder and a lawn mower blade. I have a 3mm shard in a medicine bottle that the eye Dr removed. I knew a veterinarian and went to his office first to be sure something was in the eye, he said yes. I went to the ER, they x-rayed it!! How the heck are you going to see a .004" did shard on the X-ray? After 3 hours they finally said they could not remove it anyway!! The next day I went to the eye Dr and he removed it with tweezers, polished the lens and gave me some lubricant drops.

This was 40 years ago and with good eye protection, including full face shields for the chop saw, I have been ocular accident free since.
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  #8  
Old 02-17-2014, 07:39 PM
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Low Pass Low Pass is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by flyeyes View Post
If you do get something in your eye, many ERs and the vast majority of "minor meds" aren't well equipped to deal with it, so you're better off finding an ophthalmologist if you can...
Second this. Go to the opthamologist.
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  #9  
Old 02-17-2014, 07:44 PM
dekky111 dekky111 is offline
 
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Default Eye shields

I have a nephew who left his safe ray goggles on the bench....lost the vision in his eye due to a penetrating wire. Don't work without them.
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  #10  
Old 02-17-2014, 07:58 PM
TShort TShort is offline
 
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Low Pass View Post
Second this. Go to the opthamologist.
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyeyes View Post
I feel obligated to weigh in here, this is kinda what I do...



If you do get something in your eye, many ERs and the vast majority of "minor meds" aren't well equipped to deal with it, so you're better off finding an ophthalmologist if you can.

If you do find yourself in a ER and they give you tetracaine (or proparacaine or anything else to "numb" the eye) politely refuse except for a single dose to allow a thorough exam. Giving a patient anesthetic drops to take home is a really bad idea. Kind of like cleaning your paint with MEK. I still unfortunately see this on at least a monthly basis and make a point to call the ER doc directly to educate them. I have seen permanently lost eyes, and have to do emergent corneal transplants once or twice a year for this. There are ways to manage the pain, but anesthetic drops are not a good one.

Also don't use steroid drops unless you're very sure what you're treating, even though they make the eye feel better. It's quite common that patients will have leftover drops from an eye surgery (or a family member does) and put them in out of desperation. This increases the chance of an infection.
I agree with the above, but with a caveat.

The standards for emergency care in the USA are not well defined. If you have a residency trained, ABEM certified doc in the ED (emergency department), they should be perfectly capable of evaluating and treating ALL eye emergencies ... and know when to refer to opthamology. Hopefully there is a specialist available when needed ... but "going to the opthamologist" is not always an option, after hours or weekends / holidays. You should ask the doc in the ED what their background and training is. Some moonlighters might not have the training and knowledge to evaluate certain types of emergencies.

Sorry for the thread creep. Don't want this to be a medical subspecialty you-know-what-ing contest. And I agree with flyeyes ... I NEVER give patients tetracaine to take home ... I make a point of pocketing it and throwing it away after using it for the exam, as some patients try to sneak away with it since it provides so much relief!
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