Welders need eye protection to prevent damage from ultraviolet light. Welding helmets have a darkened eye shield and lens hood, but auto darkening helmets are popular. They use a light sensor and come in solar or battery powered versions. Regular inspection is necessary to prevent exposure to UV light.
Any type of welding requires advanced eye protection to prevent damage to the cornea caused by the ultraviolet light from welding. Welders should wear a protective welding helmet that covers the face to protect it from flying sparks and material; this helmet includes a special darkened eye shield to prevent the cornea from being damaged. This condition is called arc eye and can be extremely uncomfortable. Welder helmet eye protection can also prevent damage to the retina.
Every welding helmet includes a lens hood, which is the eyepiece through which the welder watches his weld. It is a heavily tinted, polarized lens that only lets in a certain amount of light. The lens is so dark that it is extremely difficult to see anything through it other than the welding light itself. Therefore, the auto darkening welding helmet has become popular in recent years.
The auto darkening welding helmet does exactly what its name suggests: its lens automatically darkens when the welding light starts flashing. If not, the lens clears up so the welder can see objects in front of him. Without the auto-dimming feature, the lens shade would be almost completely black, making it impossible to see the project ahead without lifting your helmet.
The auto darkening welding helmet uses a light sensor to indicate when the lens shade needs to be darkened. This sensor is mounted on the front of the mask and prevents conditions such as arc flash or unexpected eye exposure to the welding arc. There are two types of auto-darkening welding helmets: solar powered and battery powered. Each one does the same thing and is comparable in quality to the other, but the solar powered mask has some advantages.
First, because the solar powered auto darkening welding helmet doesn’t have an on-off switch, there is no risk of accidentally leaving the helmet off, thus exposing your eyes to the welding arc. Fortunately, all models of auto-darkening welding helmets protect your eyes from harmful UV rays even if the lens shade is no longer dark, but your eye will be exposed to uncomfortable light if the shade is not darkened. Plus, the solar-powered, auto-darkening welding helmet doesn’t require battery changes, nor does battery life need to be monitored to ensure the lens shade darkens when needed.
Both goggles require regular inspection to ensure that no cracks in the lens shade are exposing the eye to UV light. Make sure you regularly check your helmet for damage. While less expensive masks are available to replace a damaged mask, they do not darken automatically and can make your project more cumbersome and difficult.
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