Why you can’t look at welding: were we deceived in childhood?

This insidious radiation

Welding is most often used to connect metal parts, but it is also used when working with plastic and ceramics. Electric arc, electric current, gas flame, laser radiation, electron beam, friction, and also ultrasound can be used as energy sources for welding. To power the so-called welding arc, an alternating, constant or pulsating electric current is needed.

To the question of whether it is harmful to look at welding, all experts answer: yes, it is harmful. This is not a myth at all. The fact is that when welding, a spectrum is released, which consists simultaneously of infrared, light and ultraviolet rays, and the higher the current intensity, the more the radiation power increases. At the same time, the brightness of the visible part of the spectrum is thousands of times higher than the dose permissible for a person. Ultraviolet and infrared ranges are not perceived by human vision, but they can affect the mucous membrane, cornea, retina and lens of the eye, causing burns and damage. In the professional slang of welders, this is called "catching a bunny", and in the scientific and medical language - electrophthalmia.

Ophthalmologist Vadim Bondar warns that watching welding can lead to photokeratitis. In fact, this is a burn of the cornea (the transparent membrane of the eye that covers the iris).

We are well aware that the welders themselves always wear special masks when working with a welding machine, observing safety precautions.

How to treat eyes from sparks

What to do if your eyes hurt from electrophthalmia. This is a phenomenon that occurs as a result of damage to the mucous membrane of the eye during strong exposure to ultraviolet exposure. As a result, the eyes hurt, cut and watery after that. As a rule, such a phenomenon disappears in two to three days, but strong pain does not allow you to open your eyes, headaches and a runny nose occur. That is why it is recommended to undergo an examination by a specialist in order for the doctor to determine the degree of damage to the retina, since in some cases a severe burn can provoke negative consequences.

Medical methods

If the eyes cannot be opened at all, this indicates a severe lesion. In some cases, if the patient was looking at welding, surgery may even be prescribed to save vision. After examining the patient, the doctor decides what to do and what treatments will be the most effective. The most commonly used tools are:

• antibacterial drugs, the action of which is aimed at disinfecting the already affected mucosa, for the purpose of preventive methods from conjunctivitis. Also, antibiotics contribute to the rapid healing of the cornea. The most effective are Ophthalmodec, Vizin, Oftakviks. You can also drip Levofloxamine when the eyes hurt after welding.
• vasoconstrictor drops help relieve puffiness and remove pain in the eyes. The first day they need to be used 4 times a day, the second - three, the third - two. Further, if the symptoms disappear, you can stop using the drops;
• anesthetics contribute to the "freezing" of the pain syndrome. Most often, Lidocaine drops, Alkain or Tetracain are recommended. It is impossible to drip painkillers more than twice a day.

Attention! Before taking medicines, you should consult with a specialist and be sure to study the instructions. Only a specialist will be able to correctly advise what to do if the eyes hurt from electrode sparks

If, after a few days, the eyes do not go away, it is recommended to re-contact an ophthalmologist

Only a specialist will be able to correctly advise what to do if the eyes hurt from electrode sparks. If, after a few days, the eyes do not go away, it is recommended to re-contact an ophthalmologist.

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Self-medication is strictly prohibited, as it can harm your health!

There are many traditional medicine methods that can be used if your eyes hurt from welding, but before that you need to see a doctor. That is, alternative methods can be used as an additional therapy to the main course of treatment prescribed by an ophthalmologist. Consider the most common and effective among them:

Compresses decoctions of herbs. Medicinal plants have antiseptic and soothing properties. When your eyes hurt from a spark, you can prepare the following remedy: dry herbs of chamomile officinalis, calendula, string and sage, pour water and boil over low heat for 15-20 minutes. Then cool to room temperature and strain. Moisten cotton swabs with the resulting broth and apply to the eyes for 15-20 minutes. You can repeat the procedure 4-5 times a day;

It is forbidden to use cotton wool for compresses, as the villi can get on the mucous membrane.

• A potato mask is considered one of the best ways to make yourself feel better when the master has seen enough of welding and as a result received a retinal burn with strong ultraviolet rays. To prepare it, it is necessary to grate raw potatoes on a grater and wrap the resulting mass with gauze. Then these masks need to be applied to the face. Soak for half an hour, then wash well under warm running water;
• Aloe with honey. Before using this method, when your eyes hurt after working with a welding machine, you need to make sure that you are not allergic to bee products, as they are a strong allergen. A teaspoon of natural honey and aloe juice should be poured with a glass of boiling water.When the tincture has cooled, you need to moisten cosmetic disks in it and make a compress. Hold for at least 20 minutes.

The presented video tells what to do if you have seen enough of welding and your visual organs hurt.

Why shouldn't pregnant women watch horror movies?

Horror movies are generally undesirable to watch. Previously, there was no such direction in the film industry at all. It appeared along with the development of the corruption of the new generation. In simple terms, horror films convey a negative backdrop that feeds our personal fears and drowns them out.

family watching a movie

Horror films are usually liked by those who want to suppress their inner fear. But here it does not work, such a wedge cannot be knocked out by such a wedge. No matter how accustomed you are to horror films, you should avoid them during pregnancy because of the negative impact on your psychological state.

Horror films keep the viewer in suspense and make them shudder at the most unpleasant moments. Such emotions definitely harm the development of the child. That is why you should not watch horror during pregnancy.

What to do if you get burned

For mild burns, first of all, it is necessary to rinse the eyes with plenty of cold water or a weak solution of potassium permanganate, drip eye drops such as albucid, taufon or sodium sulfacyl. If the face is also affected (and this happens often), then attach a damp towel to it. Doesn't stop me from taking painkillers.

You can try to make lotions for two hours: put compresses with cold water on closed eyelids or with tincture of oak bark, chamomile, raw potato slices are also suitable for this. Tea bags that are dipped in warm water also help well, and then put on the eyelids for 20 minutes. But it is better to go to the optometrist as soon as possible.

If you have a severe burn or mechanical particles get into your eyes, then do not try to be treated on your own: this is fraught with complete loss of vision. Urgently consult an ophthalmologist or call an ambulance. Keep your eyes closed if possible. The specialist will remove foreign particles, prescribe treatment with ointments, drops and drugs. In some cases, surgery is necessary.

Until complete recovery, it is recommended to protect your eyes from bright light, stay in darkened rooms, and go outside only in sunglasses.

Folk methods of eye treatment after welding

Treatment of mild electrophthalmia is also possible with folk methods at home. It is very good to supplement drug therapy with folk recipes for washing and instillation.

1. Herbal infusion. So, washing the eyes with a decoction of chamomile and calendula helps well. For a decoction, take a teaspoon of herbs and pour 1 liter of boiling water. Let it brew (the infusion should be at room temperature). Then strain it and wash your eyes as often as possible, but at least every 20 minutes.
2. Drops of aloe and honey. They can be used after 2-3 days of treatment. Aloe is very effective in promoting retinal regeneration. You need to mix 10 drops of aloe juice and 1 tsp. honey. Dilute drops in 1 tbsp. l. boiled water and instill in the eyes 1 drop 2 times a day.
3. Compresses.Good compresses from raw grated potatoes, from tea bags (black or green tea), from frozen herbal decoction.

The main condition is that the compresses should be cold (cold on my own relieves pain and swelling).

You need to keep them for 15-20 minutes. During this time, the pain will go away.

Heal and be healthy!

The profession of a welder occupies one of the leading positions in terms of occupational hazard to the human optical system. Neglect of safety rules and welding without a protective mask can cause eye burns, which in medicine has received a special name "electrophthalmia". Consider what are the symptoms of this disease and what eye drops are used for welding.

To damage the organs of vision, it is not at all necessary to cook without a protective mask for a long time. Sometimes it is enough to look at the welding process from the outside without special glasses.

Symptoms of electrophthalmia - eye damage due to unprotected looking at the welding process - are divided into 4 categories depending on the degree of damage to the retina.

It is important that if an eye burn is suspected, immediately stop all welding work and do not resume them until complete recovery!

With burns of I and II degrees, treatment at home is possible. For more severe eye damage, seek medical attention!

First aid

If during the welding work a person picked up "bunnies", then you need to give him first aid as soon as possible. If the work was carried out without a protective mask, then scale particles could get on the mucous membrane. They are removed with a clean cotton swab, after which they are washed with plenty of cool running water.

The patient needs complete visual rest. It is recommended to put him to bed, the curtains in the room are pre-closed. If a person has seen enough glare from welding, he needs help. You can follow this algorithm:

• Cool compresses are applied to the eyelids for 10 minutes.
• To relieve irritation and inflammation, it is necessary to apply lotions with strong tea leaves or cool chamomile decoction.
• To prevent infection and relieve inflammation, Sulfacyl Sodium is dripped into the eyes.
• Lay under the lower eyelids 1 cm Tetracycline ointment.

To reduce pain, you can take Nimesulide or Ibuprofen. Antiallergic drugs will also help eliminate inflammation, the patient can be given Cetrin or Tavegil.

After providing first aid, the victim must be shown to the doctor. In especially severe cases, hospitalization is necessary.

Why you can't watch welding, funerals and 8 other things

It won't do you any good.

1. You can not look at the full moon

It is believed that even when you are just sleeping in the light of the full moon, you give your energy to it. Since ancient times, the full moon has been identified with the flowering of dark forces.Not for nothing that vampires and werewolves in the legends received their strength during this period, because they also sucked the life force out of people. The light of the full moon seems to drain your energy, so it is also not recommended to look at it from the window: it acts as an amplifier between you and her. Close the windows on the full moon with curtains so as not to energize evil. Otherwise, the full moon seen from the window deprives you of good luck for several days in advance.

2. You can’t look out the window at the funeral procession

It is believed that in this way you can bring illness or even death to one of your loved ones. This is due to the transition of the soul of the deceased from this world to another. He can see that someone is watching her and get angry or scared (mirrors are hung for the same reason) and will take revenge on everyone in a row, and on the one who looked at her through the window.

3. You can not look out the window at night

It is believed that this is how you can lure evil spirits into the house, which is already breaking there after dark. They react especially strongly to children who, instead of sleeping, look out the window. Therefore, in Russia, parents strictly forbade their children to look out of the window at night. It was said that evil spirits come into the house and stay there for a very long time, taking things away, disturbing sleep and bringing bad luck.

4. You can not look at welding

It is believed that the radiation during it occurs in the ultraviolet range, which is invisible to the human eye, and they simply do not react to it. At the same time, the luminous flux is so strong that with prolonged exposure, eye burns occur. The effects of the injury are felt after some time, which only exacerbates them.

5. You can not look at the quartz lamp

It is believed that it can cause physical harm to the eyes.It emits a large and aggressive glow that is used to treat arthritis, ulcers, and other ailments. Severe burns may occur if you are close to an operating lamp and look at it. In such cases, after some time, dark gray or yellowish crusts form on the eyelids, which prevent the full opening of the eyes, and most often it is impossible to open the eyes even a little.

6. You can not look at a newborn

It is believed that the baby's guardian angel is too weak for the first 40 days and cannot protect the child from the evil eye. At this time, only parents are allowed to admire the child. Therefore, if you do not want to be blamed for them in the event of a baby’s illness, take your eyes off the baby or completely walk by.

7 - 10. You can not look in the mirror in some cases

It is not recommended to look into the eyes of the reflection, as well as in the mirror when you cry. It is believed that this can drive you crazy. Although the history of such real cases is silent. But in fact, you should not look into your eyes just because you will get tired, and your eyes will hurt afterwards. The eye is an amazing human organ that can be looked at for a very long time. Staring unblinkingly into your reflection in search of depth increases the tension in the cornea of ​​the eye. However, there is no natural hydration, so the eyes begin to hurt. This also happens during prolonged communication with a computer monitor. Meanwhile, looking at himself in the mirror while crying calls for troubles and troubles. Like, you can cry for the rest of your life. This is associated with the display of your difficult state of mind at the time of crying.If we consider the issue from the point of view of psychology, in the mirror we remember ourselves and every time, thinking about what is happening to us, we display the visible portrait that we remember the most. It is undesirable to look in the mirror at night - evil spirits can come out from there. Well, if you look in a broken mirror - expect trouble for seven years, everyone knows this from childhood.

As for popular beliefs about the full moon or babies, we leave it to you to judge according to your beliefs, but about everything related to vision, we consulted a specialist.

Expert opinion

Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Vyacheslav Kurenkov, ophthalmologist:

- It is harmful and dangerous to look at any source of bright light, whether it be welding, a quartz lamp or a solar eclipse. This can cause permanent damage to the eye.

If you still inadvertently looked at something like that, immediately consult a doctor. But you can look at the screens of smartphones - they have passed all security checks

The only thing you should not do is in complete darkness at maximum brightness. But about the fact that you can’t look into the eyes of the reflection - this is complete nonsense, it doesn’t bring anything bad to the eyes.

How much will the eyes hurt

Symptoms of a burn do not appear immediately, they increase gradually over 7 hours. If the retina is not damaged, then the eyes will hurt for several days. Pain is accompanied by anxiety, spasms, tears. But all this passes with time. If a serious burn was received, then the course of treatment will be set by the ophthalmologist, respectively, and the duration of pain will depend on the severity of the injury. Even after a course of treatment, pain does not immediately leave the victim.

Any thermal burn does not go away in one day, it will take at least a week or more to fully recover, depending on the complexity. Even if you feel relief the next day, continue to carry out the procedures daily. Therefore, it is better to take a day off from work or sick leave. Remember, eye diseases should not be approached carelessly and irresponsibly. Take care of your eyesight!

Why you can't watch welding

Welders work in special masks or glasses with dark glasses, the purpose of which is to protect the eyes, and not only and not so much from sparks flying in all directions, as from light radiation.

The bright fire that occurs during welding has a high-intensity radiation in the ultraviolet range. It is of such a high frequency that the human eye does not have time to react to it and a burn occurs, which is perceived as former spots, the notorious "bunnies".

But the full severity of the consequences of such burns manifests itself later, after 3-5 days. The most harmless of them is redness of the eyes, severe pain and a feeling of grains of sand in the eye.

In order to clearly understand why can't you watch the weld and explain it to your children conduct a simple experiment. Take the object painted black and place it at a short distance from the welding machine. After a quarter of an hour, the paint will noticeably brighten and begin to fade, and this will not happen under the influence of high temperature, but from light radiation.

A similar process occurs with the human retina, the cells of which begin to die, which, as a result, leads to poor vision and blindness.Do you know how things fade in the sun over time? When welding, this process goes ten times faster, it is not things that burn out, in the literal sense of the word, but the retina of the person looking at it. That is why you can not look at welding, no matter how it attracts the eye.

Looked at welding and hurt gas. What to do?

If, despite the warnings, you have looked at welding, then a number of urgent measures must be taken to minimize negative consequences.

First of all, rinse your eyes with plenty of water, and even better with a weak, barely pink, solution of potassium permanganate. Use bottled or boiled water, as chlorine from tap water will only contribute to irritation.

If there are unpleasant sensations on the skin of the face, then hold a towel or piece of cloth soaked in water on it, this will save the skin a little from the effects of a burn. Pain in the eyes and irritation will help relieve compresses, use cotton or gauze swabs soaked in chamomile or tea for them.

You can also just take tea bags after brewing - just do not forget to let them cool to a temperature slightly above room temperature, otherwise a thermal eye burn will also be added to your suffering.

If such folk methods do not help, it is necessary to consult a doctor without any delay for qualified medical help.

What not to do

• Rub your eyes. The sensation of sand causes a great desire to rub the eyes. But, at the same time, there is an even greater damage to the thin film of the conjunctiva, which will give even more inflammation.
• Bury eyes with anything. A number of drops that are used for eye fatigue should absolutely not be used with a light burn. For example, you should not drip Albucid.

Welding technology

When the electrode begins to contact the metal, the welding rod and the metal itself melt. Thus, the desired electric arc arises.

However, before starting work, welding must be ignited in one of two ways: quickly, by making short touches to the product with an electrode, or by striking (the method is similar to lighting a match on a box). Of course, the second method is preferable, if only because everyone knows how to use matches. However, it is completely unsuitable for hard-to-reach, narrow places - in such places the first method will be more effective.

The main condition is that the weld pool must be covered with slag. And he, in turn, appears during the burning of the protective coating, partially evaporating, partially melting, while releasing gas. The latter surrounds the weld pool, preventing the metal from interacting with oxygen, and also maintains a constant temperature for a long time.

As soon as the metal cools, the top layer of the seam will turn into an easily removed slag, which is simply removed by tapping. The most important thing is to observe a single gap between the electrode and the metal, in other words, the length of the arc so that it does not die out. To prevent this from happening, fusion should always occur at the same speed, and the seam itself should be as even as possible. To do this, immediately before work, it is necessary to mentally imagine the line along which the electrode will have to move.

The danger of welding for vision: delusion or truth

Nobody forbids looking at the work of welding, but without special eye protection, this can turn into sad consequences.To understand the source of harm, it is necessary to understand what exactly causes it.

During operation of the welding machine, an arc is formed - a continuous electrical discharge that forms between the electrode and the weld area. Under the action of high temperature, a drop of molten metal appears, which is transferred to the surface of the product and provides bonding. The source of harm in this process is the welding arc itself, because it causes not only metal evaporation and splashing of its smallest particles, but also strong radiation (ultraviolet, infrared and visible).

Welding generates sparks, vapor and radiation

Everyone knows that during the work of a welder, not only sparks fly, but also bright flashes of light are formed with a blinding effect. After it, the effect of sunbeams remains - there are bright points in front of the eyes for some time. But this is only 15% of the radiation that the arc gives. The remaining 85% are:

• Ultraviolet radiation (70%). Dangerous for the skin and eyes is medium and short wave radiation. Such ultraviolet is able to penetrate deep into tissues, cause temporary visual impairment, sharp pain (with a feeling of "sand"), photophobia, inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye, burns of the skin.
• Infrared radiation (15%). It is not as dangerous as ultraviolet, but it carries thermal energy and can cause burns to the skin and cornea of ​​​​the eye, followed by inflammation (photokeratitis).

Watching welding without a special protective mask and goggles is very harmful, and this is not a myth at all. But this does not mean that, having seen welding work, you need to close your eyes and run away - it all depends on the time of contemplation and the distance to the arc.So, if a person is at a distance of more than 15 meters and looks at the flashes for a short time, then the radiation will simply dissipate without having time to reach the eye, and, accordingly, will not be able to harm. And if you are 1 meter away from the arc, then the destructive effect of hazardous radiation is inevitable, especially if a person looks at welding for more than 30 seconds.

Welding requires a special mask

There are a few more common beliefs about the dangers of welding:

• Watching welding work can cause blindness. This is true, but the dependence is mediated. The radiation itself does not blind, it only has a destructive effect on the elements of the eye system, which leads to the appearance of diseases (inflammation, photophobia, radiation cataract, damage to the lens and retina). The lack of timely treatment of the problems that have arisen may well cause complete and irreversible blindness. One episode of short observation of welding is likely to cause only temporary problems.
• It is dangerous to look at welding only if it is in front of your eyes. This is a myth, since the negative effect of radiation will affect a person even if the arc is on the side, and even if the observation takes place through a reflective surface (the rays will simply bounce off it and still fall into the eyes).
• Welding is dangerous for vision not only by radiation, but also by sparks. This is true, because during the operation of the arc, particles of molten metal and sparks that have a high temperature scatter. If they get into the eye, then a burn will inevitably occur, accompanied by sharp pain, a sensation of a foreign body in the eye, pain, redness and tearing.

During welding, a particle of molten metal may enter the eye

Watching welding without special eye protection is really dangerous. Depending on the time of observation and the distance to the arc, you can get both temporary "bunnies" before the eyes, and serious burns and damage to the eye system.

Why can't you weld in the rain?

In no case do not weld in the rain

, without protection from this very rain:

1. Strictly prohibited by safety regulations.
2. Rain water, like any other, serves excellent current conductor .
3. The amount of current "received" by the welder increases many times, to life-threatening values.
4. Possible damage to the welding machine itself.
5. Any work during rain is possible only with a canopy or other covered protection.

In many ways, the consequences depend on the specific apparatus that had to work. But even with the certainty that everything “will come down anyway”, you should not tempt fate. After all, there is an opinion that safety precautions are written in blood. There is no need to argue with this statement, because workers daily come into contact with devices that can turn a person into a “broken doll” in a second or pass a discharge incompatible with life through the body.

No amount of urgency, threats of dismissal, or proposed bonuses are worth violating, as the cost could be the life of the worker.

Why can't you look at the welding light?

Without special protection on the energy source can't watch, because:

1. Much more radiation is emitted than the human eye can perceive.
2. Part of the ultraviolet spectrum is absorbed by the eyes, even when we do not notice it.
3. Rays of a certain length affect the retina of the eye, microscopic burns appear.
4. Depending on the severity of the lesion, a person can either simply get "bunnies" when blinking, or forever lose the opportunity to look at the world around them with their own eyes.

There are four stages, the difference is only in the degree of harm received. If at the first one only reddening of the eyes is observed, then at the fourth - necrosis of the eyeball.

In any case, the appearance of blisters on the skin is a clear sign that it was not possible to get off with “little blood”, you need to see a doctor.

At home, to prevent the consequences, you can:

• Rinse eyes with cold clean water.
• Apply a cold compress.
• Provide bed rest.
• Contact with bright light as little as possible.
• Drip eye vasoconstrictor drops.

After that, you should seek help from an ophthalmologist if you have preserved:

1. Unpleasant sensations.
2. Increased tearing.
3. Dryness.
4. Pain in the eyes, sensation of "sand" on the eyelids.
5. Redness of the skin and the eyes themselves.

Retinal damage is much more dangerous than it might seem at first glance. After all, it is from her that all the information received enters the optic nerve and is sent to the brain. "Breakthrough" of the retina at this and other levels leads to to complete blindness.