Contact lenses,safe to wear while welding?

[Cornerstone]

I've heard various horror stories about the wearing of contacts and guys peeling off portions of their eyeballs after a day of welding or suffering from arc flash. Is there any truth to these events or is this just coffee talk.

[TJS]

Total BS. I have been wearing lenses and welding for years. I also wear cheater glasses too. I have been flashed as well.
T.J.

[Hardrockshot]

Ditto.............. I have worn Contacts for most of my adult life, I have been flashed several times and I can still see, as long as I have the contacts in........

[Dipsomaniac]

I've heard various horror stories about the wearing of contacts and guys peeling off portions of their eyeballs after a day of welding or suffering from arc flash. Is there any truth to these events or is this just coffee talk.

I have my own story about this horror. I wear contacts everyday with my welding helmet on job. I have never flashed myself but it happened. I was going home when a shipyard welder struck an arc about 250 yards from me. My eyes literally caught on fire. It took two fire extinguishers to put them out. Don't feel sorry for me now that I am blind because I am relearning how to weld again. I have already lost one finger by "feeling" the weld bead but I am sure I can master this technique with my remaining nine fingers to become as proficient as I once was...LOL

[shorerider16]

I have been wearing contacts since I started working in a shop and I have never had any issues with a lense being fused to my eyeball. I have also asked my eye doctor about this and they have confirmed that this is nothing more than a myth. (Perhaps it is something that may have been an issue years ago with hard contacts?)

You do have to take care with regards to dust and junk getting in your eyes. Keep your eyes moisturized with proper eyedrops, do not rub them if they feel itchy and give your eyes adequated time without contacts in the morning and night. Daily disposable contacts cost a little more but are deffinately worth it if you are using them in dirtry working conditions. Take care of your eyes and you should never have a problem.

[Cornerstone]

Thanks for the replies guys, I was kinda concerned for my son who relies on contacts at work. Bob.

[just_a_girl]

Here is what AWS says:

http://www.aws.org/wj/amwelder/7-00/contact.html

[Rizz01]

The biggest concern is getting a stray park in your eye and melting the contact.

[JTMcC]

The biggest concern is getting a stray park in your eye and melting the contact.

So... what if you weren't wearing the contact lens and the spark lands on your cornea?
I'd rather partially melt down a contact lens than partially melt down an eyeball.
I've welded since '85 with contact lenses and I consider them a small, additional safety layer to the old eyeballs.
I can buy new lenses.
After several months my lenses develop tiny rust spots from catching very small bits of steel, I'd rather they were on a small, expensive piece of plastic than on my eye.
Either way wear all your eye protection cause if you go blind they'll send you home.

JTMcC

[jelias]

I wear mine to work once in awhile not that often though they dry out to fast. But that is in a shop where the dust and dirt hang around awhile. I asked the eye doc about it and he said its fine youll just go through more contacts. Just keep some contact stuff in your tool box or a pair of prescription safty glasses. I have had pieces of metal in my my eye and on my contacts. I must say it is much nicer to through out the contact and buy news one than it is going to the eye doc and getting it ground out.

[Scott Hightower]

Its OK to wear contacts but you also need a tight fitting pair of safety glasses to be sure that slag won't ricochet up under your helmet and into your eye.

Some folks think that just the hood is enough. I have seen a few guys get hurt to prove this theory wrong.

Scott
Welders360