I was a junior in high school, and I loved metal shop. Metal shop was filled with points of caution. You were regularly working with metal that contained sharp edges, was blistering hot or heavy enough to crush a finger in an instant. You had to be careful not to get too close to the metal lathe. A loose article of clothing could cause the loss of a limb. Then there were the oxyacetylene torches. The torches, used incorrectly, caused numerous minor explosions during class. Finally, there were the welders. These power packed machines generated temperatures up to nearly 1,200 degrees through high amperage electricity being pumped between welding rod and metal framework.

Safety--following guidelines--is paramount when working in metal shop. That's where I made my error.

I was welding one day; I think I was working on an outdoor patio set. I clamped the pieces of metal together, made sure everything was lined up properly, and "struck an arc" (that's welding lingo for "got started"). I only recognized my error when the flash of blue flame reached my eyes. I had forgotten to put down the welding mask. (Welding masks contain special glass that filters out the intense ultraviolet light generated by the welder.) I stopped, rubbed my eyes for a moment, put the mask down, and started again. I didn't know anything had happened until the next morning.

I woke up with my eyes burning as if they had been immersed in a salt bath. I could barely open them, and when I did, it felt as though someone was pouring sand directly on my eyeball.

I knew what had happened. They call it welder's blues. When your eyes are not protected against the ultraviolet light emitted from welding, the outer portion of the eyeball gets the equivalent of a sunburn. And it smarts! I couldn't open my eyes, much less see, for the next day. It took about two days for my eyes to heal. I will never forget how my error caused a loss of sight.