My husband was around someone who was wielding today. his eyes and eye lids are red, burning and watering he has rinsed them with water, used eye drops but the symptoms persist. is is possible he has burned his retinas or something along those lines? what

Hello, If : Hello, if your husband was not wearing protective eyewear, he might have injured his eyes either by the exposure to radiation and heat or by having minute metal particles lodged onto the surface of his eyes. He needs to see an ophthalmologist right away. If the corneas (the fron surface of the eye) are injured by radiation and heat, he might just need intensive lubrication with artificial tear and possible some antibiotic depending on the severity of his exposure. If the metal particles are causing the discomfort, they would need to be removed and he would need to be on antibiotic drops to prevent the infection. The retinas may also be injured if he looked at the light without protection for a few seconds. That just requires time to get better on its own. Hope he feels better soon but please see an eye doctor asap. Sincerely, irina ganelis, M.D. Los angeles eye institute http://losangeleseyeinstitute.Com.

Treatment : Treatment for uv exposure keratopathy will be supportive and antiinflammatory drops may help---however, if he does nothing , they will most likely be better by tomorrow. The safest thing is to see a ophthamologist as soon as possible to sure of the diagnosis and to get some treatment that will make it feel better quickly.

Corneal : Corneal burns in welders are extremely common. I suggest that your husband seek the care of an ophthalmologist who can speed healing and verify that there are no other problems. I have seen several people who thought that they had welding burns and actually had a foreign body. It is unlikely that a welding burn would affect the retina.

Welding : Welding causes metal particles to splatter and can lead to metal particle in the eye. This will cause redness and discomfort until it is taken out. Often rinsing them with drops or water is not sufficient. He should be seen by an ophthalmologist to be examined and have the particle removed. He will also need antibiotic eye drops.