Welders Flash Burn or Arc Eye Natural Treatment 10 Home Remedies

Specialty: Ayurveda

Dr. Naveen Sharma is a renowned Ayurveda specialist with an experience of 10 years. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Ayurveda, Medicine and Surgery(B. A. M. S) from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore, Karnataka, in... more

Shaheen holds a postgraduate degree in Human Genetics and Molecular Biology. She is a Geneticist with proficiency in Biotechnology, Immunology, Medical Genetics, Biochemistry, Microbiology, and Geneti... more

A flash burn occurs when the cornea is exposed to UV light. While all kinds of UV light can cause these burns, welding torches are the most common culprits.

You must have noticed welders wearing protective eyewear while they work. This is a reason behind this – to protect their eyes from developing welder’s flash or welder’s rash. Not just welders, anyone whose eyes are exposed to strong ultraviolet light (for example, from directly looking at a solar eclipse) can experience this damage to their eyes.

If you are dealing with welder’s flash, also known as ultraviolet keratitis, or want to prevent its occurrence, there are a few home remedies that may help you out. Read on!

Note: If you have blurred vision or worsening glare, consult your healthcare provider immediately.

  • Symptoms Of Welder’s Flash
  • What Causes Welder’s Flash?
  • How To Get Rid Of Welder’s Flash
    • Tips

Symptoms Of Welder’s Flash

The flash from the welding torches, known as the welder’s arc, is known to seriously damage the cornea of the eye. This gives welder’s flash its name. The symptoms include (26680683' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' >1), (2):

  • Mild to severe pain in the affected eye (or both the eyes)
  • Increased sensitivity to light
  • Bloodshot eyes
  • Blurry vision
  • Watery eyes
  • Irritation in the eye
  • A feeling that you have got something in the eye

The closest comparison to the pain of welder’s flash is when your eyes get dry and stick to your contact lens, tearing off a tiny layer of corneal cells. The cells grow back quickly, but the pain is intense when it occurs.

What Causes Welder’s Flash?

Ultraviolet radiation from these sources can cause welder’s flash:

  • Welding torch
  • Direct sunlight
  • Solar eclipse
  • Reflection of the sun on water or snow
  • Lightning
  • Sunlamps (found in tanning salons)
  • Other lamps like halogen lamps, photographer’s flood lamps, etc.

Welder’s flash needs accurate care and treatment since this ophthalmic condition is very painful. In addition to medical treatment, a few home remedies may also help to speed up recovery from this condition.

Although these remedies may help ease the symptoms of welder’s flash, opt for medical treatments, ointments, antibiotics, or dilating eye drops to recover faster.

1. Potatoes

Potatoes offer a cooling effect and reduce inflammation around the affected eye (3). This may reduce the pain and relieve the itchiness and irritation.

Potatoes also contain an enzyme called catecholase that may help in reducing water retention under the eyes. However, this effect is not scientifically proven.

You Will Need

  • 1 potato
  • A washcloth
  • Water

What You Have To Do

  1. Peel and grate the potato.
  2. Wet the washcloth and squeeze out the excess water.
  3. Place the grated potato on the washcloth in two soft lumps next to each other, with a gap of 1-2 cm between them.
  4. Wrap the washcloth around the lumps and place it in the refrigerator for a couple of minutes.
  5. Place this on both the eyes for 15 minutes.

How Often You Should Do This

Repeat this 2 times a day.

2. Milk

Breast milk contains multiple components, like lactoferrin, epithelial growth factor (EGF), oligosaccharides, and omega-3 and 6 fatty acids, which can relieve dryness in the eyes (5017541/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' >4). It lubricates the eyes and relieves pain. The application of bovine milk lactoferrin was also shown to enhance the healing of the corneal epithelial layer in lab experiments (5).

You Will Need

  • Breast milk/cow milk
  • Cotton ball

What You Have To Do

  1. Dip a cotton ball in the milk and apply it directly to the affected eye.
  2. Leave it on for a couple of minutes.
  3. Wipe it off with a clean, wet washcloth or soft tissue.

How Often You Should Do This

Do this 2 times daily.

3. Green Tea And Chamomile Tea Bags

Green tea is an excellent source of antioxidants (tannins) that can help in treating eye problems like stye and conjunctivitis (76801/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' >6). Chamomile tea possesses anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, mildly astringent, and healing properties that can soothe irritated skin and treat eye disorders like blocked tear ducts, conjunctivitis, and chronic dry eyes (7). These ingredients may help ease the symptoms of welder’s flash.

You can drink green tea daily to improve your eye tear film quality. This will help you recover from welder’s flash and have healthy eyes in the long run (8).

You Will Need

What You Have To Do

  1. Keep the used tea bag in the fridge so that it cools down and dries up a little.
  2. Place this on the affected eye for 10-15 minutes.

How Often You Should Do This

Do this 2 times daily.

4. Ice Pack

Ice packs are an amazing home remedy to reduce inflammation in the eyes (9). Studies have found that ice packs can help reduce pain and inflammation after eye surgeries (10). These properties can help relieve welder’s flash.

You Will Need

What You Have To Do

How Often You Should Do This

Repeat as often as required.

5. Cucumber

Cucumber is an excellent cooling agent (11). It soothes the dry, itchy, and inflamed skin around the eyes and also hydrates it. It also offers deep moisturization to the affected area. This cooling effect can help reduce irritation in the eye to a certain extent.

You Will Need

What You Have To Do

  1. Refrigerate the slices for a few minutes and place them on the eyes.
  2. Leave them on for 10-15 minutes.

How Often You Should Do This

Do this 2-3 times daily.

6. Rose Water

Rose water has analgesic and antiseptic properties that can help in treating ocular diseases (13/' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' >12). Eye drops preparations containing rose water as one of the ingredients were shown to relieve conditions like dry eye and conjunctivitis (13).

You Will Need

  • Rose water
  • Cotton balls

What You Have To Do

  1. Soak cotton balls in rose water and place them over your eyes.
  2. Keep them on for 10 minutes.

Note: Use cold rose water for faster results.

How Often You Should Do This

Do this 2 times a day.

7. Almond Oil

Studies show that a violet-almond oil combination helped improve tear production and tear film stability in subjects with dry eyes (14). This effect may help reduce eye irritation associated with welder’s flash.

You Will Need

What You Have To Do

  1. Apply almond oil on the eyelids and under the eyes with your ring finger.
  2. Leave it on for as long as possible.

How Often You Should Do This

Do this 2 times daily.

8. Wet Cloth

Using a cool, wet cloth gives relief from the pain and swelling seen with welder’s flash. This home remedy works best until the cloth remains moist. However, it doesn’t yield permanent relief.

You Will Need

  • A soft face towel or napkin
  • Cold water

What You Have To Do

  1. Dip the towel in the cold water and wring out the excess.
  2. Place this over the affected eye and keep it on for 10-12 minutes.

How Often You Should Do This

Repeat this 2 times daily.

9. Banana

Bananas are rich sources of potassium and vitamin C. These nutrients may help heal eye fatigue and inflammation. However, there are no scientific studies to support these effects.

You Will Need

What You Have To Do

  1. Peel the banana and mash the pulp so that there are no lumps.
  2. Apply this pulp to closed eyelids and leave it on for 3-5 minutes.
  3. Rinse it off slowly with plain water.

How Often You Should Do This

Do this 1-2 times daily.

10. Castor Oil

Castor oil facilitates lipid production in the eyes and also controls the evaporation of tears (15),(16). This helps soothe eye irritation associated with welder’s flash.

You Will Need

What You Have To Do

How Often You Should Do This

Do this 1-2 times every day.

In addition to the above-listed remedies, you can also use:

The home remedies for welder’s flash treatment listed above may offer relief from pain and inflammation. However, this eye condition may require medical guidance for complete recovery. Hence, consult a doctor if the symptoms persist beyond a week.

Here are some more tips for dealing with welder’s eye.

Tips

Note: Consult your doctor for prescribed medications. Do not self-medicate.

Corneal flash burns can be easily avoided if you use the right protective gear for your eyes or stay away from blinding light that can damage your eyes. If you do experience welder’s flash, try the remedies discussed in this post to manage the symptoms.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does welder’s flash last?

The cornea usually heals itself in 1-2 days. If it doesn’t, consult an ophthalmologist.

Will welder’s flash make you dizzy?

Welder’s flash is temporary damage that occurs in the eyes and does not make you feel dizzy. If you have a flash burn from welding, and it is accompanied by dizziness, it is because of the welding fumes.

When should you seek medical care?

Seek immediate medical care if you experience any of the following:

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