On 6 Jul 2003 04:00:32 -0700, (Sam) wrote:
i have never been flashed yet knocking on wood in the few weeks i've
been welding but after a exceptionally longe period of welding this
weekend (where i used around 25 7014 rods) my eyes feel a bit
strained.

my eyes dont hurt...they just feel different.a bit like when you ve
stayed up all night using the internet.

i am using the correct filter shade (#11) for the current i am welding
with and its manufacturer meets the DIN specs for welding filters.
you cant see anything through it before the arc is on.I have never
seen spots following extinguishing of the arc.

what i would like to know is if any other welders here ever felt eye
strain following welding even when you were using filters of the right
shade?

A dark filter causes the pupils to dilate when you're under the hood,
and that shoots your depth of field to hell. So your eyes have to work
more to keep a near item in focus than if you're working under bright
lighting and can allow depth of field to take up most of the slack. LCD
helmets accentuate this because you tend to keep the helmet down
more, so your eyes dark adapt more than if you were nodding a
conventional helmet.

Most welding supply shops have a stock of diopter correction lenses
(magnifiers) that snap in place behind the filter. Welding is generally
close work, and loss of visual accommodation (the ability to easily focus
at different distances), which typically starts around 40, can cause
eye strain if you don't give the eyes a little help. I use a 2.5 diopter
lens in my LCD helmet to avoid eye strain.

Gary