What should I do if my eye is burned by welding?

What to do if you have an eye burn from welding, what kind of help should you give to the patient and is it necessary to call for medical help? Let's look at all these questions and find out how to properly provide first aid to victims of eye burns from welding.

When the welding machine is operating, an electric arc is created, which is a source of strong ultraviolet radiation. Such radiation has a strong effect on the mucous membrane of the eye, causing severe burns. The mucous membrane of the eye is very sensitive and burns on it cause severe pain and inflammation.

Every person who has ever held a welding machine and worked with it has encountered the problem of eye burns from working with welding. A burn received while working with a welding machine is called electro-ophthalmia. Electro-ophthalmia occurs when the eyes are burned by ultraviolet radiation.

Causes of eye burns from welding

• Failure to observe safety precautions when working with a welding machine.
• Ultraviolet and infrared radiation.
• Effects of smoke on the eyes.
• The release of gaseous formations into the surrounding atmosphere that damage the eyes.
• Hot metal particles fall and damage unprotected eyes.

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Symptoms of a Welding Eye Burn

• Profuse lacrimation.
• Stabbing pain.
• Eyes turn red.
• The eyelids swell.
• Sharp pain when moving the eyeballs.
• The feeling of sand under the eyelids.
• Photophobia.
• Blepharospasm.

If a person does get an eye burn from welding, the painful symptoms of the injury increase over several hours. If the retina is not damaged when receiving the burn, the vision returns to normal within 1-3 days. In any case, when receiving a burn, you need to contact a doctor or an emergency room to receive qualified medical care and determine the severity of the burn, recommendations for treatment or further hospitalization.

What to do if you have an eye burn, and what should you avoid? First of all, you should not rub your eyes, since the sensation of "sand" is not due to a foreign object getting into the eye, but to inflammation of the mucous membrane due to the burn. Rubbing your eyes will only increase the pain and inflammation.

In case of burns, eye drops should not be used without a specialist's prescription. Many eye drops contain a substance that irritates the mucous membrane, which does not have any therapeutic effect on the burn, but only worsens the situation.

Also, rinsing the eyes with running water does not provide relief, since the burn of the mucous membrane is not thermal (in which case cooling of the affected area is indicated), and the microelements contained in the water (chlorine, calcium, etc.) will lead to increased irritation.

Immediately after a burn, you should not put tea leaves, aloe juice, or honey solutions into your eyes; experts recommend resorting to such folk methods after the acute symptoms of the burn have subsided.

In case of mucosal burns, it is necessary to use vasoconstrictor eye drops, which will help reduce swelling and inflammation (visin, proculin), antibacterial drugs for the eyes, which prevent the development of infection, accelerate healing (tobrex, gentamicin, etc.), painkillers for eye drops, which will help relieve itching, pain (tetracaine, lidocaine, etc.). It is necessary to instill 2-3 times a day, depending on the drug and the doctor's prescription. The course of treatment is usually 2-3 days.

You can also use tablets or powders to relieve pain, reduce inflammation and prevent corneal clouding (diclofenac, indomethacin).

First aid for eye burns from welding

First of all, you need to wash your eyes. You can wash them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, it will help relieve inflammation and dull the pain. You can also wash your eyes with a solution of chamomile or tea leaves. It is recommended to keep your eyes closed, since when light hits your eyes, a person feels sharp pain. Be sure to call an ambulance.

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Treatment of eye burns from welding

For recovery and restoration of vision function, antihistamines are most often prescribed: Tavigil, Suprastin, Dexamethasone. For pain relief and inflammation relief from the eyes, the following are prescribed: Analgin, Dexalgin, Diclofenac. Most often, in order to relieve the resulting eye burn, treatment with eye drops and special ointments is used. The patient must be placed in a room with darkened windows to avoid sunlight getting on the eyes. If the patient needs to go out into the light, it is recommended to use special glasses with a light filter.