Arc eye

Arc eye

Arc eye, also known as arc flash or welder's flash or corneal flash burns, is a painful condition sometimes experienced by welders who have failed to use adequate eye protection. It can also occur due to light from sunbeds, light reflected from snow (known as snow blindness), water or sand. The intense ultraviolet light emitted by the arc causes a superficial and painful keratitis.

Symptoms tend to occur a number of hours after exposure and typically resolve spontaneously within 36 hours. It has been described as having sand poured into the eyes.

This phenomenon results from intense levels of illumination, greater than that of more common over-illumination found in many factories and offices.

Signs

• Intense lacrimation
• Blepharospasm
• Photophobia [1]
• Fluorescein dye staining will reveal corneal ulcers under blue light

Management

• Instill topical anaesthesia
• Inspect the cornea for any foreign body
• Patch the worse of the two eyes and prescribe analgesia
• Topical antibiotics in the form of eye drops or eye ointment or both should be prescribed for prophylaxis against infection