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Arc eye, also known as welder's flash, bake eyes, corneal flash burns, or flash burns, is a painful ocular condition sometimes experienced by welder
Welder

A welder is a tradesman who specialises in welding materials together. The materials to be joined can be metals or varieties of plastic or polymer....
s who have failed to use adequate eye protection
Welding helmet

Welding helmets are headgear used when performing certain types of welding to protect the eyes, face and neck from flash burn, ultraviolet light, sparks and heat....
. It is also referred to as arc flash, though this can also refer to an electrical explosion
Arc flash

An arc flash is a type of electricity explosion that results from a low impedance connection to ground or another voltage phase in an electrical system....
. It can also occur due to using tanning beds without proper eyewear, excessive sun exposure, light reflected from snow
Snow

Snow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. The process of this precipitation is called snowfall....
 (known as snow blindness
Snow blindness

Snow blindness is a painful eye condition, caused by exposure of unprotected eyes to the ultraviolet rays in bright sunlight Reflection from snow or ice or less commonly from sea or sand....
), water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
 or sand
Sand

Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.As the term is used by geologists, sand particles range in diameter from 0.0625 to 2 millimeters....
.






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Arc eye, also known as welder's flash, bake eyes, corneal flash burns, or flash burns, is a painful ocular condition sometimes experienced by welder
Welder

A welder is a tradesman who specialises in welding materials together. The materials to be joined can be metals or varieties of plastic or polymer....
s who have failed to use adequate eye protection
Welding helmet

Welding helmets are headgear used when performing certain types of welding to protect the eyes, face and neck from flash burn, ultraviolet light, sparks and heat....
. It is also referred to as arc flash, though this can also refer to an electrical explosion
Arc flash

An arc flash is a type of electricity explosion that results from a low impedance connection to ground or another voltage phase in an electrical system....
. It can also occur due to using tanning beds without proper eyewear, excessive sun exposure, light reflected from snow
Snow

Snow is a type of precipitation in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. The process of this precipitation is called snowfall....
 (known as snow blindness
Snow blindness

Snow blindness is a painful eye condition, caused by exposure of unprotected eyes to the ultraviolet rays in bright sunlight Reflection from snow or ice or less commonly from sea or sand....
), water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
 or sand
Sand

Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.As the term is used by geologists, sand particles range in diameter from 0.0625 to 2 millimeters....
. The intense ultraviolet
Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than x-rays, in the range 400 nanometer to 10 nm, and energies from 3 Electron volt to 124 eV....
 light absorbed by the eye causes a superficial and painful keratitis
Keratitis

Keratitis is a condition in which the eye's cornea, the front part of the eye, becomes inflamed. The condition is often marked by moderate to intense pain and usually involves impaired eyesight....
.

Symptoms tend to occur a number of hours after exposure and typically resolve spontaneously within 36 hours. The sensation has been described as having sand poured into the eyes.

Although it is possible for defects in specific types of industrial lighting to cause the same problem, this phenomenon cannot be caused by simple over-illumination
Over-illumination

Over-illumination is the presence of lighting intensity beyond that required for a specified activity. Over-illumination was commonly ignored between 1950 and 1995, especially in office and retail environments; only since then has the interior design community begun to reconsider this practice....
 as commonly found in many factory and office environments.

Signs

  • Intense lacrimation
  • Blepharospasm
    Blepharospasm

    A blepharospasm , is any abnormal tic or twitch of the eyelid.It normally refers to benign essential blepharospasm, a focal dystonia - a neurological movement disorder involving involuntary and sustained muscle contractions of the muscles around the eyes....
  • Photophobia
    Photophobia

    Photophobia is a symptom of excessive sensitivity to light and the aversion to sunlight or well-lit places. In medical terms it is not fear, but an experience of discomfort or pain to the eyes due to light exposure....
     
  • Fluorescein
    Fluorescein

    Fluorescein is a fluorophore commonly used in microscopy, in a type of dye laser as the gain medium, in forensics and serology to detect latent blood stains, and in dye tracing....
     dye staining will reveal corneal ulcers
    Corneal ulcer

    A corneal ulcer, or ulcerative keratitis, is an inflammatory condition of the cornea involving loss of its outer layer. It is very common in dogs and is sometimes seen in cats....
     under blue light
  • Constricted pupils note: this symptom may last as long as 96 to 128 hours in some cases.


Management

  • Instill topical anaesthesia
  • Inspect the cornea
    Cornea

    The cornea is the transparency front part of the eye that covers the Iris , pupil, and anterior chamber. Together with the cilliary muscles, the cornea reflects light, and as a result helps the eye to dilate, accounting for approximately two-thirds of the eye's total optical power....
     for any foreign body
  • Patch the worse of the two eyes and prescribe analgesia
  • Topical antibiotics in the form of eye drops or eye ointment or both should be prescribed for prophylaxis against infection
  • Cold wet tea bags placed over the eyes offer some relief.
  • Carefully avoiding direct eye contact, applying vaporub above the cheekbones causes pain to spike, then fade almost completely in seconds.


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