Thread: A question regarding failing vision

I wonder if I might prevail upon you guys for a bit of advice. There seems to be some very experienced welders here and some are past the first flush of youth same as me.

I'm a self taught welder. Primarily stick welding although I recently picked up a cheap little CIG gasless mig which I'm still getting the hang of.

My problem is my failing vision.
The last time I did any reasonable amount of welding I didn't need glasses.
Now, my vision is failing in direct proportion to passing years.

I use those over the counter magnification glasses and find I need one strength for reading my laptop monitor and a slightly stronger one for reading.

IF, there is enough light, I can see quite well. Like.. in direct bright sun light.

Obviously, I need my glasses to weld, so I put them on first before the welding mask.
The thing is, the fast transition between quite dark and a brilliant arc light is too fast for my eyes to adjust.
It takes 2 or 3 seconds for my eyes to adjust and by that time the start of my welds are pretty average.

I bought one of those twin halogen lamps you can now pick up quite cheaply at Bunnies.
Figured given enough light I can see anything so I'll put more light on the subject.
Yair right! Light is so bright my self darkening mask goes black and I can't see a damned thing.
I know I'm going to have to up my magnification because I'm closer to my work than I am when reading, but even with those, this sudden transition from dark to bright seems to be the issue.

My eyesight issues are very very common. My optometrist claims to be able to tell a mans age by how closely he can focus, so there is nothing unusual in my predicament. That's why I thought others may have already found a solution.

1. Auto darkening helmet.
2. Keep light behind you to a Minimum.

2. Angle grinder.

Originally Posted by DavidG

1. Auto darkening helmet.

Already use one.

2. Keep light behind you to a Minimum.

My work area is not exactly operating theatre light

2. Angle grinder.

A neat weld, IMHO is neater looking than grinder marks.
Would rather avoid grinding if possible

Suppose it is par for the course with age. I have the same problem.

Originally Posted by DavidG

Suppose it is par for the course with age. I have the same problem.

Most definitely, I would consider it par for the course.
I was just quietly hoping another welder of around our age had come up with some kind of tip.
We'll see I guess.
Thank you for your input anyway.
I appreciate your time.
And there's some satisfaction in knowing we're not alone if nothing else.

G'day mate,

I use an old pie warmer stick welder and love the old girl, at 56 my eyes a about the same as yours, my tip for you is when you are about to strike your arc or hit the button in your case, make sure you have a pair of 200 magnifiers on, get up close, find your focus distance, then memorize the start of your weld. Oh, get rid of the auto darkening mask and go back to the standard flip ya lens up model because it's the combination of your memory of the site to weld and the time you flip the lens down that makes the difference. Memorize- flip down-count1.2.3 then weld. Oh and if only the start of your welds are pretty average your one up on me because all of my welds are pretty average

Cheers Oddjob1

Originally Posted by Oddjob1

G'day mate,
I use an old pie warmer stick welder and love the old girl,

Ok, I have to ask. What's a pie warmer welder?

Thank you for your response.
Our eyes must indeed be similar. 2X magnification is what I thought would be needed for the job.

I have to pick up some more material tomorrow, so I'll call into the chemist and pick up some stronger glasses and try the "Memorize- flip down-count1.2.3 then weld" approach and my old helmut.

I'll let you know how I get on.

wonder if a run on tab (old piece of scrap metal) would help and give your eyes time to adjust before runing onto the job. This is tacked to the job!

I'm a fair bit younger than you Grandad, but I found myself needing reading glasses about 18 months ago, which coincidently was about the time I took up TIG welding. Low light is my issue too. I didn't wear my glasses while welding. It might seem strange, but I didn't actually connect the fact that I needed reading glasses with my high rate of tungsten strikes.

Only a few months ago, I grabbed a couple of 2x diopter 'cheater' lenses as well as a new auto helmet. The magnification is more than my prescription (I couldn't remember what it was at the time) and the effect is quite disconcerting if I don't look at 90 degrees through the lens, but I'm amazed at just how much it helps. I've got 2 helmets now, but I always reach for the one with the magnifier's in it.

I also got desk light, one of those ones with the adjustable arms, it doesn't affect my auto helmet, unless it gets a sudden flash of the bare bulb. I just place it so it's about 1 foot away from the work and it suits my needs perfectly.

I haven't done it, but I know quite a few people who put hoods on the back of their helmets to limit reflected light on the inside.

Cheers

- Mick

I must say that I still prefer my old helmet over the auto helmet. Not sure if you know but CIG or whatever they call themselves now sell mag lenses that you can fit in with your glass shade in the standard welding helmet. I have had mag lenses for in my helmet for many years would not be without them.

I also used to have huge problems oxy cutting steel plate. I could not see the bloody marking line, I tried to wear my glasses under the oxy goggles and the rotten things would fog up bloody hopless. Thought I would give CIG a call and see if they made round mag lenses for oxy goggles. The answer was no however you can buy goggles overseas that accept the standard welding glass lenses. After I got the goggles fitted the correct shade and mag lens AHHHH what a huge difference that made.

Warren.

It is quite reasonable that you may need more light for a number of reasons.

regardless of our eye health, our eyes have a better range of focus with more light.....its an appiture and depth of field issue just like on a camera.

BUT......and I see this soo often...... the light needs to be smooth and even and not produce glare.

I've been fighting the "bright light right on the job" attitude for years.... give it up, there is a far better way.

So many people try to put the light source too close to the job or use lights that are too bright and or too direct...with this they create glare and a contrast between bright and dark, that is not helpfull.

For best vision we need, both direct and diffused light, and even light across the whole work area not just on the job..

I find my self at "that point in life" and still do some quite fine work..so my workshop has to be very well lit.

I have fluros mounted end to end over my main work benches about 8 feet off the ground, now that is pretty good, but two things have improved the situation no end...the first is large white reflectors directly behind the fluro fittings, my reflectors are sheets of white laminated board......the second is triphosphor daylight tubes.

The daylight tubes are actually no brighter than warm white, but they appear so to our eyes and the better colour ballance helps accurate vision.

If you use fluros and have them too close or you use halogen floods that are too bright and too direct..or anything else.....and get it too close, you will be simply adding a problem rather than solving one.

There is no substitute for having a good level of light and a smooth even coverage with a good balance of direct and diffused light.

So my recomendation is rows of single 4 foot fluros with triphosphor daylight tubes and big white reflectors, these rows set about 4 feet appart and about 8 feet off the ground.

You will be surprised how much better you will see.

One thing I also note is that my auto darkening helmet does not work well in dull light...I think it is both an issue with my vision and partly the helmet too.

I always found welding in poor light to be frustrating.

In poor light there is a temptation to run welding shades that are actually too light for the work.

cheers

Years ago we used helmets that had leather covers that inclosed the rear of the helmet down to your shoulders they where used to stop sparks from going down the back of your neck when doing overhead welding,

I sometimes use principle to keep the bright sunshine out of my helmet when welding outside in the yard it does the job.

Yep done that too, works.

cheers

magnification lenses available from boc and other welding supply outlets have a marked change on old mens welding abillity. called diopter lenses and are available in 1.5, 2.00, 2.25, and 2.5 range. in the $15 range i think. part nos are 454012 454010 454014 and 454011. i use them in my hiderok sheilds and a dedicated speedglass unit in my9000. cheers danny

Sounds to me like it may be time to have a "propper" set of specs made, I had the same problems until I bit the bullet and admitted that is what I needed, not a set of pretend specs from the Chemist or $2 shop