So I'm sitting at home, out of work for a few days eating Vicadin...

Yesterday I was cutting some 1/8" x 3"w steel into some lengths soon to be seat mounts. On my last cut, a piece of steel made it around my glasses and under my eyelid, whereupon it decided to lodge itself. OW.

5 hours later (after extended waits at both an urgent care AND the ER, the piece was finally removed. Bottom line, I have a severely 'abrased' cornea, to go along with one pretty good 'cut'. Thankfully, the cornea heals quickly, so as long as I don't get infected, I should be fine in a few days.

So, just a reminder, if you don't have safety goggles, get 'em. Make sure that they provide good 'seals' around your eyes - the one's I had on left a small gap, and it was enough to let a piece through.

Interestingly, the eye doctor mentioned he's seen cases where goggles were worn, the guy got done working, and later in the evening a piece that had stuck in his hair fell down and into his eye.

Honestly, that was the WORST PAIN I've felt in my 38 years - I wouldn't wish it on anyone - not even Al.

I had a similar experience one time...IT WAS HELL ON EARTH...hope it gets better soon!

Grinding dust goes everywhere ...

If you have and vicadin left over, maybe you could send some to the Texas Ford CMCers to help ease their pain ....

I feel your pain. In 2000 I was fabricating a ram air box for my 66 Mustang. The grinding disk exploded and cut about half an inch into my abdominal area. The hospital had to pick out all of the grinder disk fragmants by hand. Trouble was they didn't get them all out the first time and had to re-open the wound three days later because of infection.

Ouch. I hope you heal quickly.

This must be pain killer day. I just spoke to Arlyn Strano who is popping codeine today

That does sound painfull. Luckily the eye heals quickly, so maybe you will feel much better soon.

I did something dumb last night and nearly ended up in the ER with a bad cut on my forearm.

I was working on my dirt track car beating out some dents. I had a crowbar and was prying on a piece of sheetmetal in a tight location... the bar slipped and I cut my arm pretty good on a sharp piece of metal in the vicinity of where I was working.

Luckily my wife is a Nurse Practitioner and decided I didn't need stitches and she fixed it up with medical super glue.

Dude, you must be on drugs - its Vicodin! Get better soon buddy!

when you're cutting/grinding w/ abbrasive materials use a FACE SHIELD as well as safety glasses...


i use goggles when i'm gas welding/cutting, but they don't stop sparks from landing and sticking on your lips or from going up your nose or in your ear.... you can buy full face shields that have #5 shades for gas cutting/welding..

i'm sure some people here also use flux core wire and/or stick electrodes when welding.. well let me tell you that hot slag will stick to your lips and burn them in an instant and that slag likes to go up your nose and in your ears as well(when you're chipping the slag off of course)..

be carefull!

Tell my wife that will you. She got a paper cut in her eye last year in March and it still hasn't healed properly. It's very painful.

That is exactly what happened to me! Many years ago, I was porting a set of Pontiac heads. Wore the requisite safety gear for the time, including full-surround goggles. Finished up for the night, took everything off, went inside for dinner and bed. Woke up the next day with an awful pain in one eye.

One visit to the optomitrist later got the metal splinter pulled. Yep awful pain. They had me put drops in my affected eye for about a week afterward. It _really_ made my eye sensitive to light. Driving to school, and my eye would start aching and tear up so bad my shirt was wet.

Now, after working around any metal work, I bend over, brush my hair out and wipe my forehead off before removing the goggles. Even then, I usually go in and at least rinse my face. You just can't be too careful.

As I told Brad on the CMC board, hubby had this happen at his job as a mechanic. Not fun! I also have some experience with cornea damage - trying to get something out of my eye and scooped out a piece of cornea with my fingernail. Seeing that divet in my eyeball was really, really high on the this is too weird to be true factor!
Hurt very badly, hubby took me to get treated, got an eye patch and drugs, started throwing up when I got home. The two were not related - I coincidentally had a stomach flu! Not a great day.......

Sorry to hear about what happened, but I'm another example of something getting caught in hair and then later getting in the eye. I cut down a tree in the back yard wearing goggles. That night when I took a shower one of the wood chips somehow ended up in my eye. Off to the emergency room I went. Damn that was painful.

I can't stand those goggles that cover your eyes completely. Within seconds I have sweated enough inside them to fog them over. I wear safety glasses over my regular glasses and occasionally I still get a piece of crap fly in there. About 8 years ago I got one and went to the doctor to get it removed the next day. Six months later I go to have an eye examination and the doctor tells me that I have a rusted piece of steel in one eye. He showed me the ring it made in the white of the eye. I could see it in the mirror if I looked real close. About six months later the eye began bothering me and I felt the leftover piece come out. Since then I keep magnet about 2 inches in diameter in the tool box. It came out of an electric motor and is quite stout. The last time I got something in my eye that didn't want to wash out I stuck that magnet right up next to the eyeball. It must have worked because I felt better and had no more problems. A hillbilly remedy for sure but it works for me!

sorry to hear about that man, I've been there where you are....definitly the opposite of good

I haven't had anything too bad get in my eyes, but even with my approved prescription safety glasses there is a decent amount of room to let stuff fly in. I've felt things tickle my eyelashes while using a bench grinder. That will make you feel everything no matter how insignificant it is. I'll have to remember the magnet idea.

Get well soon and be safe.