I've been wearing glasses since grade 3.
I hate having my eyes touched (ask the people that have had to prod, needle and grind shmutz out of my eyes!)
As such, I preach by prescription safety glasses with sideshields while I'm working. It's a good incentive to wear them. When I take them off, I can't see much farther than 6" from my face clearly! I'm only 24, and that's the sad thing, though I have had the same prescription for about 5 years now, so it's good to know that my eyes have levelled out some!
I can't even remember what not needing glasses to see is like...I remember when I first got glasses. I was having problems reading the chalk board in school and it went from there. Now I have three pairs...a pair of non work ones, a pair of prescription sunglasses and my safety concious work ones!
On getting ones eyes cleaned out, if you havn't had it, it isn't an experience I'd recommend. They try a que tip first. If that doesn't work, out comes the needle (not a pin...a NEEDLE needle)...the needle is bad enough, but if THAT doesn't work, out comes the grinder. It's about the size of a pen...
When it comes to your eyes, use your descression. Just remember...you only have two!
I've been welding for over 15 of my 33 yrs now and I still have the same 20/10 vision that I always had when I was a kid. I suppose that is because I have always been almost fanatical about protecting my eyes.
And not just on the job either. I mean wearing UV protected sunglasses on sunny days and always wearing my glasses when I read something. Anything to avoid eye strain!
By the way, my wife had lasic surgery a few years ago because she got tired of contacts. She was thrilled with it and now has perfect 20/20 vision.
GH Weidman
At 33 my eyesight was perfect. I was 43 before I started having problems. Nothing unique about that - nearly everybody experiences eyesight loss right at about that age. Protecting your eyes agianst UV with sunglasses etc. will prevent cataracts in your old age - and I mean way older than 43 - more like 75. Your doing the right thing so keep on doin' it. But we're talking about two different things. At 33 this is all in your future. T.
If you've been wearing glasses since you were little then I doubt you'll be able to relate to the problem of diminishing eyesight at 40 years or so. Wearing glasses is second nature to you whereas over the years I have gradually lost an ability I once had. Can you see the difference? These contacts that are just now available for this type of correction have given this capability back to me. I'm kinda thrilled about it and wanted to share it with other people in my trade who may be experiencing the frustrations I was having. This post is not about eye protection. Its about getting back something I lost along the way. T.
I have the same problem ! I now dont leave the house without my Glasses and I weld with glasses and a cheater. Are these contacts you talk about extended wear ? I have heard of some that you only change once a month
The contacts I use are called disposables. They're soft contacts. My prescription is for 6 months at a time and I throw them away once a month. I put 'em in every day whether I'm working or not. I can't remember the cost but it didn't break the bank. I never wear glasses anymore except for eye protection. T.
As a result of reading here, and some advice from a friend, I have been fitted with multifocal contact lenses. At this time they aren't perfect, but they take a while to get used to. They seem like a far better solution than bifocal glasses.
Plus, it is kind of fun to be able to buy $10.00 safety/sun glasses
It sounds just like what I use and you're right, they aren't perfect. But way better than wearing glasses.
Can lasic surgery be performed on someone who wears bifocals? By this I mean can they correct the vision for both near and far at the same time?
Maybe... Part of vision deteriation with age has to do with a reduction Your ability to change the shape of Your eye's lens to focus near and far. From My understanding they make one eye focus close in, and the other at distance.
I think basically that's the way these contacts work. Everyone has a dominant eye and a recessive eye. They pretty much leave the dominant eye alone and correct the recessive one. In my particular case the result is that when I look straight ahead everything is fine. Looking to the right leaves my distance vision clear while the close stuff is difficult. Looking to the left has the opposite effect whereby I can see really well close up but not so well far away. So learning to use them involves learning how to look at things differently. To look at something close I have to turn my head slightly to the right and my eyes slightly to the left. It's become second nature to me. This is the learning curve I was talking about and you have to stick with it.
Another interesting point is that with a normal seeing person who looks - say to the left - the brain will automatically sort of ignore - or pay less attention to - what the right eye is seeing. Why? Well I guess that the further you look to the left the more the right eye is eclipsed by your nose. So when using contacts or lazer surgery for this type of correction the brain, if it wants a clear look to the left, has to unlearn what it has always naturally done and learn to pay more attention to that right eye. I might be wrong about all this but I suspect that this is why even after becomming adept at the trick of turning your head and eyes in opposite direction vision continues to improve. I rarely notice any vision loss anymore.
To relate all this to welding: The biggest benefit for me has been that it's increased the depth of my field of vision. If the fumes are making their way under my hood during a long pass, I can pull my head back out of the way and....still see what I'm doin'. Like being a kid again except for all those other worn out parts.
I think Dave has it right.
I am near sighted and have been wearing glasses since I was a little kid. I am 49 now, and am becomming less near sighted. For up close I look over the tops of My glasses, and the bottom of My bifocal is good at arm's length and further.
Time for new glasses.
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