Welding and Vision problem

[JDseller]

I had Lasik eye surgery in Nov. My eyes where not too bad to start with but I was having trouble on close stuff while working. My problem is that now the flash/light from welding is so bright I have trouble seeing while welding. If I turn my helmet up high enough that the light does not bother my eyes then I can't see the puddle or the seam I need to weld together. This is mainly an issue with the wire welder. I don't seem to have quite as big of a problem stick welding. Is the smoke shielding the light some??? I don't have as much a problem if I am welding against something like the edge of a gusset but welding a crack in the middle of something flat and I have a heck of a time. I may have a perfect bead but it is a half an inch to the side of where I needed it to be.

Have any of you had Lasik done? Do you have any issues with it?? Have any of you had this type of problem while wire welding?

I will admit that I had done much more rod welding than wire welding. I still will use the stick welder if I want a strong weld or if it is in a hard place to weld in. I do vertical welds with the wire welder but I have not had much luck with over head welds. So I usually just stick weld them.

 

[Puddles]

I lost the center vision in my right eye when I was 12. At times that can be a PITA welding, but forces one to learn to weld left handed. Beginning of last summer my vision was down to 20/85 and I had to have cataract surgery in both eyes. Before the surgery I was using a # 8 lens and bright lights to weld. After surgery it took me a little while to figure out which shade of lens to use. But a # 10 is working fine. I Settled with Miller's 2 x 41/4 auto lens. As my eye sight was deteriorating I was buying different brands of lenses trying to find which ones worked best. You'll have to experiment with brands and shades. Trust me shades mean nothing when switching brands, they all vary. Stay away from the cheap Chinese lenses the clarity is just not there.
I have bought several lenses from these people, the glass is made in Germany. Super clear lenses.
http://www.phillips-safety.com/store/index.php?cPath=41_66&osCsid=ke0kv3n9fssi4vbc7qls2i2166

 

[JDseller]

I am currently using a auto adjust Miller helmet. It can be adjusted from 8-12. I will try an old style fixed helmet. I will have to dig one out. I have not used one in years.

 

[rossow (mn)]

I have a problem identical to yours, minus the Lasik. Many years ago, I bought a high-quality, name-brand wire-feed welder, complete with argon gas. To my dismay, I have never been able to use it.... I just can't see the arc to stay on the joint I am welding. I have tried lenses from 8 to 12; I've even experimented with doubling up on some lenses. Nothing helps except to do the welding in bright sunlight and with two 500-watt halogen lights positioned very close to the work piece, which often isn't practical. Even then, I have to get so close to the work that I literally have melted a lens cover or two. It's not that I have bad eyes; I'm 20/20 with glasses. Also, I have absolutely zero problem with stick welding (Lincoln AC225). I'm frustrated as heck with wire welding, which I really would like to do on thinner material. But I find myself turning instead to my oxyacetylene torch to gas weld or braze when the stick welder is too much for the material. I hope if you find a solution to your problem you will share it. Good luck.

 

[504]

T-Bone used to complain about plastic lens, and would only use glass because of the distortion. A lot of fixed helmets are glass.

 

[NCWayne]

I never had Lasik because my doctor said as bad as my vision was, and at my age (44 now), the amount they would have to take off the lens might fix my vision for a few years, but as I got a bit older I more than likely need a 'tune up' and there would be nothing left on the lens to remove. So, I can spend alot of money to git rid of my contacts for a few years and then be right back in them later on.
So, I've always worn glasses or contacts, but I am also partially color blind. That color blindness makes it really hard for me to see the puddle, regardless of the type or welding, position, or whatever. The only thing I have found that allows me to see the puddle is one of the gold coated lenses. Something about the gold coating and the wavelengths of light it reflects or doesn't reflect makes the puddle stand out.
The only problem with that is to use the gold lenses you have to use an old style helment and go back to flipping it up and down instead of being able to use the auto darkening type.

 

[Anonymous-0]

Wire-feed welding is probably the easiest to learn. Having said that, when I went to the 7-day weld school at the community college for the frame plant that made Ford Explorer frames from 1989 to 2005, I spent the first day trying to get to where I could see the puddle better. We were required to wear #2 tinted safety glasses inside the welding helmet, which we were told to set on a #10 shade. Of course, initially I wasn't issued PRESCRIPTION safety glasses; after I was in the plant and made it through probation, I was allowed to get the prescription safety glasses.

The instructor at the weld school was a retired pipeline welder, and he came up with two solutions so I could see well enough to weld my coupons and pass my tests. First, he and I experimented around until we found the right "cheater" lens for my helmet. Then second, he "borrowed" a fluorescent drop light from the automotive department, which was in the same building. With the cheater lens and the additional light in the booth, I finally could see what I was doing well enough to make some welds that passed the tests.

Once I got the prescription safety glasses, I retired the cheater lens...and the headaches I got while welding also went away. While welding at home, my regular glasses are photochromic...so when welding at home, I can now lower the helmet setting to 9 and still see what I'm doing.

 

[showcrop]

Well I thought that I was the only one who could not see while welding. I will have to get a new pair of halogen lights.

 

[Brad Buchanan]

I guess that I am behind the times but I prefer the standard helmet with the larger view panel.

I have tried the auto dark helmets and I really didn't see much advantage with them.

The larger view panel lets me find the arc quicker and minimizes the possibility of burning through.

35 years welding including production line work in Holly Michigan, weld and fab in my own shop and remote sign installation.

Hope you find the answer....I know how frustrating it can be when you have the knowledge and eqipment to do a job and can't see to make the welds.


Good luck,

Brad.

 

[ILLEFTY]

I had the opposite problem. Could see the arc, but not the puddle. Tried different lens and hood with no luck. Finaly figured out that with wearing transision lens in my glasses, they darken on me. Now I wear non tinted lens and have no problems.

 

[Jason the Red]

I had Lasik surgery about four years ago, but only recently began welding full time. So far, I have not experienced what you are describing, however I do keep the eye drops they recommend on hand. For whatever reason, I tend to get dry eye while welding. I do notice after using the drops my sight becomes a little more crisp.
One of my coworkers had cataract surgery about two years ago and subsequently suffered a detached retina about four months ago. Since his detached retina, he has had problems seeing the puddle and has gotten away from welding altogether.
It sounds like you are just going to have to use trial and error to find out what works for you.

 

[JML755]

(quoted from post at 02:19:25 04/13/12) ......I may have a perfect bead but it is a half an inch to the side of where I needed it to be.
.......

:lol: That happens to me all the time. I thought it was because I didn't know what I was doing. Now I can blame it on my eyes.