Arc eye

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Overview

Arc eye, also known as arc flash, welder's flash, corneal flash burns, or flash burns, is a painful ocular condition sometimes experienced by welders who have failed to use adequate eye protection. It can also occur due to light from tanning beds, 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. The sensation has been described as having sand poured into the eyes.

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

Signs

• Intense lacrimation
• Blepharospasm
• Photophobia
• Fluorescein dye staining will reveal corneal ulcers under blue light
• Constricted pupils note: this symptom may last as long as 96 to 128 hours in some cases.

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

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