Metal spark from grinder in eye

I was just shortening an Allen key on a bench grinder. I had the plastic guard down, but I stupidly looked to the side and felt a spark go in my eye. No major pain just a slight sting sensation for a second. It feels ok now. Maybe a slight gritty feeling but I could be imagining that. Does it sound like I got lucky and it bounced out or could I have something in there? I usually wear safety specs but got distracted and forgot to put them on.

I’ve done that, makes you feel a bit of a fool!

NB If you ever go in an MRI machine, do mention it as they’ll xray your head first to check no flecks of metal in your eyeball before they switch on the big magnets…..

You only get one set of eyes, I’d get an expert to check.

Various friends have told me it’s a great time to visit A&E

Put goggles on, the wee screen isn’t an alternative, not even safety specs, proper goggles.

Anyway, get to minor injuries, A&E if you don’t have one nearby. I got a brass chip in my eye from a mallet in the middle of a nightshift once, A&E doctor had it out in seconds.

Go straight to A&E. I did the MTFU thing and left a shard in my eye overnight, by the morning it was like a hedgehog under my eyelid. I went to A&E, they had two goes at trying to get it out, a horrible experience as it had ‘rusted’ into my eyeball.

I went to the specialist eye clinic and they got most of it out before I collapsed on the treatment room floor out cold.

If you don’t go to A&E, you’ll likely wake up in the middle of the night with a very sore eye and the possibility of scarring.

before they switch on the big magnets…..

As a point of interest, once an MRI scanner has been commissioned, the magnets are always ON.

Oh bugger, not really the reassurance I was looking for.

My eye feels and looks ok, could it of just bounced out? Has anyone had similar, not gone to A&E and been fine?

…or will I definitely wake up in the night crying like a baby?

Definitely A&E. You’ll need an X-ray if it’s not immediately visible to be fished out.

NB If you ever go in an MRI machine, do mention it as they’ll xray your head first to check no flecks of metal in your eyeball before they switch on the big magnets….

This – I had to do exactly that when I went for an MRI recently as years ago I got some rusty metal in my eye when working under a car. It was removed at the time (after about two weeks and the eye had started to heal over it so it was scraped out with a needle) but I wasn’t 100% sure it was all out.

Get it checked out, I work as a welder and have had several trips to the eye clinic over the years, if there’s something there and it heals over they will need to use a needle to get it out, not a pleasant experience and I know from experience I wouldn’t care to have it done again

I’ve done this a fair few times because I’m a **** and never wear eye protection when grinding metal.
Always toughed it out and both eyes are still intact.
This does not constitute good advice in any way.

I did the same with a tiny grain of glass as I was grinding the edge of a glazing unit. I could feel it so we drove all the way to the eye hospital in Manchestah but by the time I got there a fluorescent dye test showed nothing. Objects in your eye do leave an “imprint” that you feel for a while.

Go straight to A&E

This – I had a mechanic friend who did go to hospital and they told him he did the right thing because of the “rusting” thing.

Apparently isn’t not pleasant, especially if you don’t like needles…   good luck.

Check if there is a specialist eye place before rushing to A&E. We have one, only been there once but they were great. I’d certainly rather go there at the moment.

I had the same issue as johndoh- after it happened I couldn’t see any object on my eye, but occasionally felt something when I blinked. After a day or so I went to the eye hospital, and the flake had lodged itself onto my eyelid, hence I could feel it blinking, but not see it.

Had my head locked in a brace while they pulled my eyelid as far as possible to inspect it.

Had an MRI many years later and even though I said it had been taken out, they still x-rayed to be safe.

Got to an eye casualty if you have one nearby or failing that an emergency department.

Got to an eye casualty if you have one nearby or failing that an emergency department.

Failing that, there’s a castle that’s famed for it’s eyesight restorative powers!

+1 to the seems ok at the time but in the middle of the nights it feels like a hedgehog under your eyelid – go get it checked

I can recommend Southampton Eye Hospital if you are near here. Very patient and thorough.

I went in after exploding a big bag of sawdust in my face. Most of the dust was flushed and flooded away easily and painlessly. A quick second check to see it was all clear and…

… I think we will get the embedded metal bits too – you cannot close your eyes when they come at you with the needle. Not sure how many bits they took out or how long it took but there was a cute nurse holding my hand most the time so I was happy.

My eye feels and looks ok, could it of just bounced out? Has anyone had similar, not gone to A&E and been fine?

I didn’t and I’m still here…

Took my daughter to the eye hospital here in Brighton after she had an issue with something that had scratched her eye. They were pleased she’d come in as they said it could well have started to ulcerate within a few hours.

I was a regular at Manchester eye hospital in the 70’s (sheet metalwork), as I recall it was at MRI. do not wait go and wear better goggles, you cant be to careful with your eyes. i know to my cost.

Similar to the above, I scratched my eye a couple of years ago, assumedly out riding in muck, and the resulting not getting it seen to quickly enough/infection almost lead to my eye being sewn shut, which I was less than enthused about. The scaring has got better over the last couple of years, but it’s far from perfect.

Get it seen to.

Thanks for the advice everyone. I’ve found there is a daily emergency eye clinic at my local hospital, I will call them in the morning to see if they want to see me. Still feels fine though, hopefully I got lucky.

Had metal in my eye a few times, the last time was a very pleasant experience at A&E. The numbing drops they use are lovely, I didn’t see or feel the needle and the nurse put some UV drops in my eye and checked with a UV light that there was none remaining.

Happened to me last weekend, I have safety specs on but should have had goggles. It was quite sore in the evening but fine the next day.

I attended a very long day’s training recently for abrasive wheels and the bloke taking it recommended wearing goggles (of the highest impact rating) plus also a visor to protect your neck in the event of a wheel shattering.

Apparently he had to attend an HSE investigation where someone was killed from a shattered wheel because bits went into his neck.

Those health and safety dudes always know some cheery tales. He also showed us a video of a bloke being wrapped around a massive lathe which was very nice of him.

Straight to A&E

Colleague got very lucky with a bit of saw blade in the eye. Get it blooming checked!

Ive had a couple of tiny flecks of dry lime mortar in my eye over the years, every time I convince my self it’s out and won’t be a problem. Two days later I’m in the local walk in unit in front of a massive magnifying glass and a nurse taking it out with a swab.

My dad was and HSE accident investigator. ‘Son, never use a bench grinder’

Man up I once got my eyeball slashed and peeled back like an onion then I smelt the burning for 30 seconds still didn’t tell them where it was stashed
Chaff from the back of a combine now that is what I call discomfort for a few days

I never use power tools without safety spec/goggles on. When I was an apprentice one journeyman had a glass eye as a grinding wheel exploded and another was nearly blind in one eye when the same happened to him. As mentioned above you’ve only got one pair of eyes get them checked out and get some proper safety specs

I got a wood splinter from walking up stairs as wife put a new plastic bag in a Round rattan Bin. Black right in the white bit.

That ended in a headlock and a stick with a pad poking session, after the previous Comedic session with little trolley Table head Clamp thing wasn’t working as I’d instinctively back up.

M8 had the scalpel and drops for a grinder incident.

I’ve had a lot of debris on my eyes over the years, some have required a visit to A&E, some just washed out by a colleagues/first aider.

As a first aider I would recommend that anyone that has any anything in their eyes to get it checked, I don’t always follow my own advice though.

Get it checked!

Got something in my eyes years ago, doctors couldn’t see anything but is was clear something was up, got sent straight to eye hospital, took them more than twenty minutes to find, and another twenty to remove a 1mm x 2mm piece of clingfilm or similar.

Fortunately no damage done, and I got to look like a pirate for the rest of the week.

Hard contact lens from 40 years ago toughened your eyes up, pubs and the picturehouse full of fag reek, dry dusty days they nipped like hell and if you got mixed up with your saline and cleaning solution aaaaagh

I did this a few years back, didn’t hurt… drove home and it was all good.

Next morning I had a head ache. Was all fine though, but of ‘profen and I was fine. Until the afternoon when it was turned up to “worst headache ever” and I decided to go to A&E. Fortunately they are used to such injuries in Barrow in Furness and the very nice doctor popped me in a chair under a bright light, pulled out a hyperdermic needle and set about my eye.

It was f***** horrendous.

I now wear eye protection even for those teeny tiny jobs :-D

He also showed us a video of a bloke being wrapped around a massive lathe which was very nice of him.

Yeah, there are some brutal ones. There was a vid of a Chinese worker being pulled into a paper mill a few years ago by his hand.

A couple of notorious incidents in the industry I used to work in. One guy with long hair being decapitated by rotating machinery which caught his hair. Another guy on a hoist being pulled into a 12″ tube.

As a point of interest, once an MRI scanner has been commissioned, the magnets are always ON.

Scary things. Sitting in the middle of it and whats hidden under that seemingly innocuous plastic cover.

. One guy with long hair being decapitated by rotating machinery which caught his hair.

Years ago I used to fabricate upvc windows and we used an air powered dremel type whizzer to clean up plastic welds.

Not paying attention, my long hair draped down onto the tool, a heavy cast metal thing.

Instantly I felt a massive metal punch to the head that put me right out of it for a few seconds as the tool wound itself up my hair instantaneously.

Maybe that’s why I don’t have any anymore! 👴

A bit more recently I also got a t-shirt sleeve caught in a woodturning lathe.

My bicep looked like an aubergine 🍆 😳

Had it been a metal working lathe, different story I imagine.

Stay safe folks.

I got a wood splinter from walking up stairs as wife put a new plastic bag in a Round rattan Bin. Black right in the white bit.

That ended in a headlock and a stick with a pad poking session, after the previous Comedic session with little trolley Table head Clamp thing wasn’t working as I’d instinctively back up.

Maybe I’m being thick but can someone explain what the above means / provide the decryption key?

LOL!