Feedback requested!

[MikeAurelius]

As some of you may know, I've got a very large customer base of professional glassworkers who use bench mounted torches (flame temp 3800F, glass temp ~1800 F) or stare into tanks of molten glass (100 pounds at 1200 F). They wear proper protective eyewear (filters for both sodium flare and IR - [UV isn't an issue]). There's always a problem of "dry eyes". I did my research and came up with this advice, I thought I'd run it past you folks who see similar problems every day.

********************

As we age, our eye mechanisms age with us. And, on occasion, dry eye issues can crop up as well. As a group working with hot glass, we are additionally exposed to hot air plus air movement created by any ventilation we are using. Age + heat + air movement = pretty much everything needed for a good case of "dry eyes".

Note: I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be one, nor do I play one on TV, the movies or the internet. However, I HAVE talked with thousands of glassworkers like you and from time to time they all experience episodes of dry eye symptoms that cannot be medically explained.

Here’s the consensus of what seems to work for most people:

1. First and foremost: BLINK YOUR EYES. The brain will override the blink reflex when you are working on very small intricate work. You have to consciously override your brain and blink. The best way to remind yourself to blink is to make a sign for the back wall of your work area. Make it big, on white paper. Use a black marker and write the word BLINK on it. Don’t put anything else on it. Write BLINK in large letters. Place it in your visual range at the back of your work area.
2. Get some good quality branded SALINE ONLY eye drops. DO NOT USE MURINE!! DO NOT USE HOMEMADE SALINE!! Murine and other similar products reduce the red in your sclera (white of the eye) by constricting the blood flow through the surface blood vessels. Homemade saline will contain bacteria and other harmful crap. Use only pure, sterile saline drops from a brand-name manufacturer. At the start of your glassworking session, put at least two drops in each eye, then blink several times to lubricate your eyes. During your session, take “safety breaks” every 45 minutes to an hour and repeat two drops in each eye, blinking afterwards. If you feel your eyes “drying out”, stop and add more drops.
3. At the end of the session for the day, after you've safely shut down your work area, wash up, including your face and hands, then put two more drops in each eye.

Now, if the dry eye symptoms still continue after this, you may have an underlying medical issue and I strongly encourage you to visit your local eyecare provider.

**********************
Thoughts? Comments?

[obxeyeguy]

I am also not a Doctor, but I would say to add a lube during the day a little more viscous then just saline, and at night a gel type drop.

[rbaker]

Consider contacting Keene State College in Keene, NH as they have a great Graduate Program M.S. in Safety & Occupational Health Applied Sciences. I have pumped their brains on quite a few occasions in the past.

http://www.keene.edu/academics/graduate/safe/

[braheem24]

I would use rewetting drops instead of saline.

[Tallboy]

Retaine Opthalmic Emulsion works so much better than anything else I've tried.

[MikeAurelius]

Retaine Opthalmic Emulsion works so much better than anything else I've tried.

Is it non-prescription?

[Tallboy]

Is it non-prescription?

Yes, its way better than even systane restorative. It comes in those one time use droppers

[kaypaula]

They are the BEST drops I've used. Also, eyeeco has some "dry eye" wear glasses that you can RX (they are not safety glasses however). But Wiley X has safety frames made specifically for dry eye , they wrap and have a seal to keep out circulating air that dries those eyeballs out ;)

Yes, its way better than even systane restorative. It comes in those one time use droppers