Welding is a job that comes with many risks, especially to the eyes. Even brief exposure to a welding torch without the right protective gear can lead to serious eye damage, such as arc burn.
Arc burn causes a gritty, sandpaper-like feeling in the eyes, making it painful to open or close them. Once the damage is done, there’s little relief than waiting for the pain to pass.
Despite these risks, many workers still neglect the need for proper eye protection during welding. Using safety glasses, welding helmets, and other protective equipment is not just a suggestion—preventing serious injuries is necessary.
Safety glasses shield the eyes from flying debris, dust, sparks, and the welding arc’s intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Although these glasses can sometimes feel cumbersome, the minor discomfort is far outweighed by their protection against long-term damage.
Let’s get straight to the point.
Welding without proper eye protection, such as safety glasses or welding helmets, can lead to severe eye injuries, including burns and long-term damage like cataracts.
Safety glasses with side shields, appropriate lens shades, and other protective equipment are essential for shielding against harmful UV and infrared radiation, flying debris, and sparks.
Proper maintenance, fit, and the use of additional protective gear like face shields are crucial to ensuring eye safety in welding environments. Ignoring these precautions can result in significant, potentially irreversible eye damage.
Glasses Use For Welding
Welding Goggles
Purpose
Welding goggles are designed to protect welders’ eyes from the intense light and harmful radiation produced during welding. They also shield against sparks, spatter, and flying debris, which are common in welding environments.
These goggles are essential for tasks where full face protection is not required, but eye safety is still a priority.
Lens Shade
The lens shade level in welding goggles is important for ensuring adequate protection. A lens shade between 5 and 7 is recommended for tasks like oxy-fuel welding.
This level filters out enough light to protect the eyes without obstructing visibility. For more intense arc welding processes, such as MIG, TIG, or stick welding, higher lens shades ranging from 8 to 13 are necessary.
These higher shades offer greater protection against the intense brightness and radiation associated with these types of welding.
Auto-Darkening Glass Lenses
Some welding goggles come with auto-darkening lenses that adjust the shade level automatically based on the light intensity. This highly practical feature allows welders to work efficiently without changing glasses or lifting their helmets between tasks.
The lenses stay clear when not welding, offering full visibility, and darken instantly when the arc is struck, providing immediate protection.
Welding Helmets with Built-In Lenses
Purpose
Welding helmets are designed to offer full-face protection, covering the eyes, face, and neck. This is particularly important in arc welding processes, where there is a higher risk of exposure to harmful radiation, sparks, and debris. Welding helmets are crucial for ensuring comprehensive protection in high-risk environments.
Auto-Darkening Helmets
These helmets feature auto-darkening lenses that automatically darken when the welding arc is active. This technology allows welders to see clearly when not welding and provide protection when needed.
Auto-darkening helmets are convenient as they eliminate the need to manually flip the helmet down before starting a weld, enhancing safety and efficiency.
Fixed-Shade Helmets
Fixed-shade helmets have a permanent lens shade that is consistent and does not change.
They are suitable for tasks where the level of light exposure remains the same throughout the process and offer reliable protection in situations where a constant shade level is adequate.
Safety Glasses
Purpose
Safety glasses or goggles should be worn under welding helmets to protect the eyes when the helmet is lifted or during tasks that do not require full helmet use.
They provide a secondary layer of protection, safeguarding against flying debris, spatter, and other hazards that could occur when the helmet is not in place.
Side Shields
Safety glasses with side shields offer additional protection by covering the sides of the eyes. This feature is particularly useful in environments where particles can approach from different angles, ensuring the wearer is fully protected.
Welding Face Shields
Purpose
Welding face shields are often used alongside safety glasses for tasks like grinding or cutting, which are associated with welding but do not require full helmet protection.
These shields offer protection from sparks and debris, although they do not typically provide the same light protection as welding goggles or helmets.
Lens Options
To ensure maximum visibility, face shields may have clear or tinted lenses for minor welding or cutting tasks.
The lens choice depends on the task’s specific needs, with tinted options offering some degree of light filtering while still allowing for clear vision.
Bifocal Safety Glasses
Purpose
Bifocal safety glasses are designed for welders who need assistance with reading or detailed work.
These glasses combine standard eye protection with the convenience of magnification, enabling clear vision up close and at a distance. They are particularly useful for tasks that require precision while maintaining eye safety.
Recommended Shade Numbers For Various Welding Processes
Torch Brazing and Soldering
Recommended Shade: Shade 3
Glasses
You can use welding glasses with a shade three lens for torch brazing and soldering with relatively low light intensity.
These glasses provide enough protection while allowing good visibility, making them suitable for these low-intensity tasks.
SMAW/Stick Welding
Recommended Shade: Shades 8 to 12
Glasses
Stick welding, or Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), generates varying levels of light depending on the amperage. For lower amperages, glasses with a shade eight lens are sufficient.
As the amperage increases, you should opt for glasses with a darker shade, such as 10 or 12, to ensure adequate protection.
GMAW/MIG and GTAW/TIG Welding
Recommended Shade: Shades 8 to 10
Glasses
Gas Metal Arc Welding (MIG) and Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (TIG) typically require glasses with a shade of 8 to 10 lenses.
These glasses balance the need for eye protection with the ability to see fine details, which is crucial for these more precise welding tasks.
Carbon Arc Welding
Recommended Shade: Shade 14
Glasses
Carbon arc welding produces extremely bright light and high radiation levels, requiring glasses with a shade 14 lens. This is one of the darkest shades, providing the highest level of protection for such an intense welding process.
Oxy-Fuel Cutting
Recommended Shade: Shades 5 to 7
Glasses
Oxy-fuel cutting, similar to brazing but involves cutting through metal, requires glasses with a shade 5 to 7 lens. These glasses protect against the bright flame while allowing the welder to see the cutting line.
Plasma Arc Welding and Cutting
Recommended Shade: Shades 6 to 8
Glasses
Plasma arc welding and cutting require glasses with 6 to 8 lenses. These glasses offer the necessary protection from the bright plasma arc while enabling visibility for precision work.
Conclusion
Selecting the right welding glasses is essential for safeguarding your eyes from the various hazards encountered during welding. The risks posed by intense light, radiation, and physical debris make using appropriate protective eyewear non-negotiable.
Safety provides many options, from lighter shades suited for less intense tasks to darker shades designed for more demanding work. Whether you opt for the Green Welding Glasses Model 33 or the Rk2 Welding Goggles, you can be confident in receiving reliable, high-quality protection that meets stringent safety standards.
Ensuring that your eyewear is well-maintained, fits properly, and is appropriate for the specific welding task is key to preventing eye injuries and preserving long-term eye health. By taking these necessary precautions, welders can protect their vision while working in potentially hazardous environments.
FAQs About Welding
Do You Need Glasses For Welding?
Wear welding-rated glasses if you’re attempting to weld in close quarters without a helmet. Even light welding requires at least five shade lenses to protect your eyes.
Can You Be A Welder If You Wear Glasses?
Contact lenses and prescription glasses are not safety gear. When welding, use safety equipment sparingly. Wearing the right clothing, gloves, and a mask or shield is imperative.
Do Welders Lose Their Eyesight?
When welders don’t properly protect their eyes from the arc, they commonly suffer welder’s flash or photokeratitis. This condition is caused by exposure to intense ultraviolet radiation and results in temporary blindness and extreme discomfort. More extreme eye injuries can result in permanent blindness.
What Happens If You Weld Without Glasses?
Suppose you have looked at a welding arc without wearing appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). In that case, you will likely suffer some or all of the following symptoms: Mild pressure or intense eye pain. Abnormal sensitivity to light or being unable to look at a light source. Abnormal watering of the eyes.
How Far Away Can Welding Hurt Your Eyes?
While the welding arc is the principal source of UVR, other workers in the area can sustain eye damage from the radiation as far as 50 feet away from UVR, reflecting off shiny surfaces, concrete, or unpainted metals.
