In this blog post, I will be answering a question posed to me about whether or not you can weld with a contact lens. Can you weld with a contact lens? Can you see well enough to do your job? can welding cause eye damage? These are all questions that we will answer in the following article.
So, can you weld with a contact lens? Yes, it is okay to weld if you wear contact lenses and follow the OSHA safety standards (ANSI Z87. 1-1968) for eye protection. However, if there is a chance that gas or vapors from welding could be harmful, you should not wear contact lenses.
Let's look at some of the potential dangers associated with welding.
What Are Contact Lenses?
Contact lenses are little pieces of plastic that you put on your eyeballs to help you see better. Lots of people wear them, and they can be used for many different reasons, like helping us see better or making our eyes look prettier.
How Far Away Is Safe To Look At Welding?
The US Army has done some tests proposing that people can be safe from UV exposure if they stay 3 to 20 meters away from welding for 10 minutes.
However, the welding industry disagrees with these findings and recommends that welders stay at least 25 feet away from their work.
In general, it is best to avoid looking directly at a welder's arc unless you are wearing the appropriate safety gear. Welding can cause blindness if you do not take precautions.
Welders should also wear sunglasses and a welding hood to protect their eyes from UV radiation.
It is also important to avoid breathing in the fumes released during welding. Welders should use a respirator to protect their lungs.
What Should You Not Do With Contact Lenses?
When you use a contact lens, there are many things that you should not do. Sometimes contact lenses, which are very small and can be worn in the eyes, provide convenience for people who wear them while depriving them of some things at the same time.
Here I'll give you the eight tips.
Don’t sleep with your contact lenses in your eyes
It is not a good idea to wear contacts for too long. Sleeping in contact can be dangerous because your eyes can't get rid of bacteria and other things that can make your eyes red, irritated, and infected.
Even if it is inconvenient, you must take out your lenses before going to bed at night, even if it takes a few minutes. If you do not remove them, there is a risk that bacterial contamination will occur due to accumulated dust and dirt while you sleep or that you will scratch your cornea or conjunctiva.
If you want to wear lenses over a long period at night, it is better to choose soft contact lenses and use them with care.
Please don’t touch the tip of the bottle after using it
Unless you can keep your hands clean all the time, you shouldn't handle your contacts outside of the bathroom. Touching them without first washing your hands has bacteria on it. The bacteria will go to your eyes and might make an infection that could lead to blindness.
If you are rubbing your eyes a lot when you are tired and massage them after looking at screens for a long time, you are more likely to get keratoconus.
Keratoconus can lead to blurry vision and eye problems. Contact lenses make you more likely to rub your eyes, so be careful!
It is usually cleanly separated from its cap, and the bottle is covered with a small cap. If you touch it, there is a risk that your fingers will be contaminated with bacteria and other microorganisms, causing an infection to your eyes.
When buying contact lenses, please don't buy them from people who do not use their own hands to take them out of their caps. Such as "I'll sell you the contact lenses I used and took off" "I've been using this bottle for a long time, and nothing happened to me".
Don’t use your saliva to wet your lenses
The most important thing is that you should not forget to put in saline solution when re-wetting the lens with your saliva. Saliva is not as clean as saline solution. And also, you can contaminate your lens with bacteria that cause conjunctivitis or ulcers by using your saliva.
If you have a dry lens, it is better to first wet it with the saline solution and put the contact lenses in your eyes after they are sufficiently moistened.
Don’t forget to blink
It would be best if you had a lot of tears to keep your eyes moist and clean. When you go out for a long time, put in eye drops if necessary. Even if your eyes do not feel dry, use at least one drop every hour since this is the minimum amount that can be used to prevent dryness or itching of the eyes.
The biggest cause of eye disease is dryness, so make sure to keep your eyes moist with tears by frequently blinking even if you do not feel uncomfortable.
Don’t forget to wash your hands before touching the contact lenses
When you put in or take out a lens from its case, always use clean hands and never use your nails. If you touch the lenses with your dirty or oily hands, there is a risk that bacteria and other microorganisms will enter your eyes again.
Before touching the contact lenses, please wash your hands thoroughly with soap or use alcohol-containing hand sanitisers to disinfect them. Then dry them with a clean towel before using them, even if they are not wet.
You should not wear any makeup when you have your lenses on
You can wear makeup while you have your contact lenses in. It's not a good idea to get any makeup on the contact lens. If you don't clean them and disinfect them, then you're putting your eyes at risk.
It would help if you also lived a life outside of your lenses
When you wear contact lenses, you need to always keep an eye on them and their cleaning kit. To prevent bacteria and fungi from building up on your contacts, you need to wash the kit out regularly with the solution and make sure it is completely dry before using it again. Damp, dark environments are the ideal conditions for bacteria to grow, so you need to keep on top of cleaning your cleaning kit or else you might get sick.
You should save money on your vision by getting contacts from a reputable source
Your eyes are very important. They let you see the world around you. But there are parts of your eye that can get hurt if you use them for too long without giving them a break. If the parts of your eyes can get hurt, they may not work well anymore, and seeing becomes hard or impossible.
Disposable lenses are not made to let moisture and oxygen into your eyes. This can make your eyes feel better for a while, but in the long run, it will hurt them. Don't wear these in the daytime, or you won't see them right. Wear them at night when you sleep only.
When you use contact lenses, you are renting your vision. But when you rent something instead of owning it, you are losing money instead of making money.
If you follow these eight guidelines, your contact lenses will be clean and safe for use.
What Temperature Do Contacts Melt?
You cannot melt your contact lenses. They are not made of metal. And, they will not burn in your eyes because they are made of a special material that melts at a much higher temperature than your body does.
Besides this, the sterilization process of contact lenses is done through autoclaving. This process uses high temperatures, up to 250 degrees Fahrenheit, to kill any germs or bacteria. Since your contact lenses are made of material that melts at a much higher temperature, they will not melt during this process.
Can Welding Melt Contact Lenses?
According to the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, welding and exposure to an arc flash will not cause your contact lenses to melt. Contact lenses can't become "welded" to the cornea.
There are two types of welding: oxyacetylene welding (used in most home welding) and arc welding (including TIG, MIG, and Stick welding).
Oxyacetylene is a flame that reaches temperatures of 2500°F (1371°C), which will not melt a plastic contact. This is a much lower temperature than a welding arc, which emits ultraviolet radiation and reaches temperatures of 1090°C (2000°F). The ultraviolet radiation can damage the cornea but not melt a contact.
Can I Use Contacts If I Work In Construction?
Yes, of course, you can wear contacts if you work in construction! The worst thing that can happen is getting hit with something like wood chips or metal particles. If you wear contact lenses, make sure to take extra care because there might be small debris behind your contact lens, and it will get stuck on your eyeball.
The safest way to prevent getting injured when working with things like wood, metal, or glass is to always use glasses for safety whenever the situation requires it.
Even though glasses are not perfect protection against eye injuries (they will not protect your eyes from power tools), they are still better than nothing - and they don't carry the risk of scratching up medical lenses if stuff does go flying onto them.
Buttons and loops on coveralls can easily catch tools, cables, cutting blades, and fasteners. Please take off your overalls carefully before leaving the worksite, and make sure you put them away properly.
Can You Be A Welder If You Wear Prescription Glasses?
Wear glasses that correct your vision while welding. It is safe to wear contact lenses if you don't have these. You can also wear glasses without correcting your vision.
That's a good question. The truth is that it depends on the type of welding you're doing and how your vision affects it.
If you're starting, spending much of your time peering through the scope at things, then glasses might obscure too much to be safe. But if you weld independently without seeing what's in front of or nearby, wearing glasses can make life easier.
My suggestion is to contact an optometrist specialising in your type of work (in this case, welding) who can give you an answer tailored to your situation! That way, there are no surprises down the line when determining whether or not it's safe for you to weld with prescription glasses on hand.
Is There A Big Difference Between 8.6 And 8.7 Base Curves In Contact Lenses?
There is no big difference between 8.6 and 8.7 base curves in contact lenses. The 8.7 curve is .1mm flatter, but since these are soft lens curvatures and soft lenses assume some of the shapes of the cornea, the fitting value won't be changed dramatically. At the same time, as all other things being equal, 8.7 base curve lenses will be thinner than 8.6 base curves if you are trying to achieve similar fitting values.
Is It Okay To Wear Contacts With A Different Base Curve?
No, but only if your prescription matches what is being worn. If you're a welder and use a fluoride lens, it's important to wear lenses with the same base curve. This will help you see better and not get hurt. Over time this could be an issue if it's something different from what your doctor prescribed for you.
It won't hurt you right away, but it could lead to serious problems like pain or irritation.
Conclusion
Welding is a dangerous profession, but not if you have the right gear. If your contact lenses are giving you trouble while working with metal, it may be time to consider wearing glasses instead.
Contact lens wearers should take precautions against welding hazards by using safety eyewear or taking breaks periodically to give their eyes a rest from the bright lights of the shop floor.
Regardless of what type of eye protection they choose, welders should always follow all safety protocols and wear gloves at all times for maximum protection.