Hi everyone !

First: I'd like to apologize to a few folks around here for dropping off the scope and not finishing up some email conversations and getting back to them. Or replying to posted questions...it wasn't due to a lack of caring....it was lack of eyesight ....uggh

Second: PLEASE Always use appropriate eye protection when using compressed air to blow the smutz out of miscellaneous crevices, nooks & crannies ... especially ones that contain battery acid / residue....

So.... a couple of weekends ago I successfully replaced my a/c compressor clutch coil [in situ btw, and I owe jorrell a write up about how that went]... during the "effort" [there's a good name for my car "The Effort" but maybe in Swedish - ansträngning , well maybe Annie for short lol ]...but I digress...

Anyway, during "The Effort", I figured that laying across the battery while sweating like crazy [it was 97] was not the "smart" thing to do, so I pulled the battery...that also gave me more maneuvering room... since I am in the habit of cleaning everything I pull out, and cleaning around it, I grabbed the air hose and blasted away at some wet sandy smutz that was living under the battery... you remember I was sweating?....well I had laid my glasses down atop the radiator because with all the sweat dripping I couldn't see out of them anyway...

well I managed to blast all the smutz up into my left eye... bottom line is I managed to scratch the sh!t out of the cornea and got a secondary infection from what ever was in the smutz... vision was useless and painfully sensitive to bright sunlight... it's been an annoyingly slow recovery, but about 95% back right now...

So, I am now the proud owner of several pairs of wrap around safety glasses: clear, yellow & sunshades... word to the wise: get some ...

I'll close by borrowing from a familiar ad campaign:

Safety glasses: $30,
Eye doc: $$$ more than a whole parts car
Vision: priceless

Cheers,
John

I spend about 50% of my working hours, outside, and I wear wrap around safety sunglasses from HD ($12) in bright daylight, and similar clear glasses when it's cloudy, or I'm under the hood. Both protect against debris, and UV. Several of my over 55 colleagues have had cataract surgery, and I'm getting up there, so I'm not taking any chances.

Marten

Man o man...
It doesn't take much to mess up the works..glad you're on the mend. Rotating parts, flying debris, burns, cuts, and crushing are all part of the risks...to everyone out there, be careful!

benski

Excellent advice. For the few years I worked part time in a student machine shop I spent most of my time telling people that safety glasses only work when they're on your face and plainly turning people away that didn't have them. In that sort of environment I feel a bit naked without them.

I keep a pair in my glovebox. They're also great for bike riding. Clear for cloudy days and a lot better than squinting when barrelling down a trail dodging tree branches.

What I do regret is not using hearing protection more often. For some jobs, the disposable foam plugs are worth it just to keep the gunk out of the ear!

-Will
--
850 / Mini

Thanks for sharing that. Stories like this keep others safe. I remember a story about someone who was working on a stuck caliper piston... and forgot where the open bleeder was pointed. When the piston popped, he got a face full of hydraulic fluid. Trashed both his corneas. Full recovery... but after weeks of ouch! Last weekend I was ready to compress a piston on a disconnected caliper, and that story reminded me to check where all of the openings were in the caliper relative to my face. I owe that guy a beer. Otherwise, who knows? I could be the king of doing dumb things!

All I can add is that when getting protective eyewear, get good stuff... not so much from the "strength" perspective, but the "optics": If the optics stink, you won't wear them. :-) I've been through like three pairs because I skimped on them, and everything looks distorted through them I don't use them. Stupid Ryan. :-)

Hope yer feeling better.

-Ryan
--

Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars, GT Braces
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars
Buckeye Volvo Club

I have to admit, I am very lazy when it comes to this.. I have safeyt glasses hanging at every workbench in my house...Basement, Grinder, Drill press, Garage... But I almost never reach for them. It's always one of those , "Ahh, they're dustier then anything I will get in my eye.


P.S. I have had Metal drilled out of my eyes 3 times in my life.. So , yeah, I gotta wise up.
--
'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me http://home.no.net/ebrox/Tony's%20cars.htm

I also sweat a lot, must be the coffee! Your story is a good reminder to the rest of us. Not only when using power tools, but when under the car and all of that "junk" falls into your face.
A couple of dollars for good safety glasses is worth a lot more than a couple of dollars. Buy several and place them around the shop, like next to the air compressor and grinder.

Klaus
--
I still miss my 164 and my 854T. Just driving a V70R :)

Actually it is not such a sad story, you learned a lesson and there is no permanent damage. It could have been much worse.
Dan

There is no vanity tolerated in Smutzville!

My brother and I once had occasion to visit a steel mill, where the air was full of nastier smoke and grit than you could ever produce in your driveway. My brother works around plenty of nasty stuff himself and his eyeglasses are his usual first-line defense against airborne junk, but sometimes on a "field trip" he wears his contact lenses instead.

That day at the steel mill he wore his contacts, against big brother's advice. Even with the protection of the safety goggles provided by the mill, his eyes were instantly and painfully irritated and bloodshot on account of the junk that found its way underneath his contact lenses. I abandoned any claim to my earlier advice--being right can be such negative comfort that you wish you were wrong--and wished I had gotten him out of there sooner. Irritation but no lasting damage.

Thanks for the reminder, and I hope you make a complete recovery!

I too am glad all has turned out well for you. I wear glasses and find that they don't allow me to see at certian angles, so I'll remove them especially when it's hot out. Safety goggles will on my list of things to get today. Thanks for the painful reminder.
--
'86 sedan with 389,000 miles on the original engine and automatic transmission

Ouch! Sorry to hear that John. I'm lucky that the only stuff I''ve ever gotten in my eyes is dirt. I HATE touching my own eyes, but when I get debris in there I usually try to coax it out with a q-tip.

Anytime I use a powertool like a cutoff wheel where I KNOW there will be flying shards, I like to add a full face shield.

Be careful, John! Hope your eye is back to 100% soon.
--
'93 244: 'A' cam 4 deg. advanced, 25/22 sways, custom heim endlinks, fully converted to poly bushings, HD springs front, wagon springs rear.

So there's no reason not to have at least one pair.

The polycarbonate kind which are light can be picked up for often under $5 and seem to as good or better than the more expensive ones made of glass. (impact/shatter resistant, UV filtering, don't scratch easily).

The only problem is that since I wear clear ones, I forget if I'm wearing them or not while I'm holding the power tool, so have to stop and check.
--
1980 245 Canadian B21A with SU carb but electronic ignition and M46 trans in Brampton, Ont.

I'll add my two cents...

Thirty years ago, I got a tiny speck of steel in my eye from an industrial accident. The diagnosis and removal process was frightening, if not sickening... the words "Dremel" and "eye" should never occur in the same sentence.

I've been a BIG believer in safety glasses ever since.
--
No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public - H.L. Mencken

Hi John.

Sorry to hear about the injury, must have happened after we saw each other in passing. Hope you sight is getting better and you are not in too much pain. Thanks for the safety reminder, I sometimes take these things for granted and all it takes is a story like this to get me back in line. I'll drop you a line when I start the +T on the 240 in the next few weeks if you want to stop by and take a look, or even lend a hand if you are so inclined, but remember to bring you own safety glasses ;) Will also be installing Bilstein HDs in the 940T soon.

-Tim

John,

Sorry about the annoying injury, but glad to hear you're now recovering successfully!

I did a similar doozey with a grinder and a piece of a cutting wheel that snuck under my crappy glasses. Now I wear goggles. He he...GOGGles. What a funny word, but it's nice to not damage your eye!

Jason
ATX
--
89 245 'loaded' with a Great Pyrenees; 91 245 project

John,

Sorry to hear all the trouble and associated pain that goes with it, but it is great news that you are recovering! And thank you for sharing your experience with us!

Having torn the iris of my left eye with a fish hook at the age of 6 (I still remember every detail to this day), and having to help my wife for weeks with everything when she scratched the cornea of both her eyes with fiberglass insulation (just a few fibers that's all it takes), I know your pain in a way.

Your advice is impeccable on the wrap-around safety glasses. They have saved me serious pain many times over. In hot weather, I actually use a set of ski goggles with clear lenses that are vented at the top and bottom... it doesn't stop the sweat but it does help. Please note, you won't appear attractive wearing shorts, t-shirt, and ski goggles but heck... its a small price to pay for us married guys!

jorrell
ps. If you need any help next week, let me know!
--
92 245 250K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!

Wow. Glad to hear you still have your vision, though. I've had close calls like that-- many times I find glad I'm wearing glasses (as debris is raining down on my face).

That is some very good advice..glad to see you are recovering.

I'm with Jorrel - I have a pair of chemical resistant glasses from a chemistry class where I had to buy them. They save me from stuff in my eyes every time I change the oil or anything else. I started wearing them after working on my suspension and PS pump and I had to stop every 10 minutes or wrench with my eyes shut.
I've been using them for everything, but they don't seal and I just thought of those cheap little polycarbonate olympic speed swimming-style goggles.
They're like 5 bucks, one-size fits all, and they seal to your eye.

I'm gonna get some!
I'm glad your eye is okay. And BTW I leave a little piece of bleed (vacuum) hose on the bleed nipples any time I open them to prevent air bleeding back in, but I didn't know it could blind you. thanks!

-Will
--
1990 740 Turbo, on its way to stock specs, maybe beyond

they are scratch resistant, chemical resistant polycarbonate and are designed to seal the eyes from air turbulence. the peripheral vision is the best and they are fairly cheap. 10-12 bucks

Where might we find some? they sound like a good investment...

-Will
--
1990 740 Turbo, on its way to stock specs, maybe beyond

there are two places i can think of where you can get them quickly but one is going to be cheaper.

any sky diving center will have a shop with equipment (cost more) or ebay.

i have several pairs of these i use for paragliding and have been real happy with them. one was badly scratched so i tried it out when working on my car it is great. nothing can get to you eye, no sparks, or metal filings or fluids. they seal well around the edges to protect in high speed air turbulence.

http://www.ebay.com

item: 170242836387