Dry eyes for woodworkers

Woodworkers get dry eyes from three things at once: fine sawdust in the air, dry heat from a shop heater in winter, and long stretches of staring at a blade or a pencil line without blinking. Safety glasses rated to ANSI Z87.1 keep chips out; dust collection and a break from the shop handle the rest. Use lubricating drops only with clean hands, away from the dust.

Why a wood shop dries your eyes

Every cut throws dust, and the finest particles from sanding, routing and table-saw work hang in the air long after the machine stops. Dust that lands on the eye’s surface soaks up and disrupts the thin tear film. Meanwhile a propane, kerosene or electric heater in a garage shop warms cold winter air and lowers its relative humidity. And when you’re lining up a cut or chiseling to a knife line, you blink far less than usual, so the tear film gets less frequent refreshing.

Safety glasses: what OSHA requires at work

In a professional shop, OSHA’s eye and face protection rule, 29 CFR 1910.133, says the employer must ensure each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to hazards such as flying particles. The rule points to the ANSI Z87.1 standard for protectors, and compliant safety glasses are marked “Z87.” At home there’s no inspector, but the flying-chip hazard is the same, so the same glasses make sense.

• Choose glasses or goggles marked Z87, with side protection.
• Sealed goggles keep out more fine dust than open-sided glasses when sanding or routing.
• If you wear prescription glasses, look for Z87-rated over-glasses or prescription safety frames.
• Add a face shield over glasses at the lathe, where chips fly at your face.
• Keep a spare pair by the door so they go on before the first machine starts.

Dust collection and shop air

The less dust in the air, the less ends up in your eyes. A dust collector or shop vacuum connected at the tool captures most chips at the source, and an ambient air filter hung from the ceiling catches the fine dust that escapes. Sweeping kicks fine dust back into the air, so vacuuming the floor is gentler on your eyes and lungs. A respirator or dust mask is about your lungs, not your eyes, but a poorly fitting mask can push breath upward and fog or dry your glasses, so check the fit.

Shop heaters and winter dryness

A heater that blows straight across the bench is a steady dry wind on your face. Aim it at your legs or away from your workstation, and don’t sit in front of it to warm up while sanding. Some woodworkers run a humidifier in a heated shop in winter partly for the wood itself, since boards move with humidity; it can make the room more comfortable for eyes too. Dry eyes from a space heater covers heater placement in more detail.

Concentration and blinking

Close, careful work cuts down blinking. Between operations, take your hands off the tool, look at something across the shop or out the window, and blink fully a few times. Building that pause into setups, such as while a glue-up clamps or a finish dries, keeps eyes more comfortable without breaking concentration on the cut itself. Never look away while a blade is spinning; take the break once it’s stopped.

Using eye drops around sawdust

A wood shop is about the worst place to open a bottle of eye drops. Fine dust settles on everything, including a bottle sitting on the bench and the fingertips you’d use to pull down your lid. Quell’s label is specific: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination. So make drops a step-out-of-the-shop task:

• Turn off machines and step out of the shop, ideally into the house or a clean room.
• Take off your safety glasses, and brush dust from your hair and eyebrows away from your face.
• Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water and dry them.
• Use the drop as the label directs: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye.
• Recap the bottle and leave it indoors, not on the bench.

Quell is Product appears as a milky brown solution, so a little dust on the cap is hard to spot. Keep the bottle in a closed drawer in the house or in a clean zip bag. Its storage range also matters in a garage shop: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). An unheated shop in winter or a closed one in summer can fall outside that.

If dust or a chip gets in your eye

Lubricating drops are for dryness, not for getting a foreign object out. If a chip or splinter gets in your eye, don’t rub it. Rinse with clean water or an eyewash station if you have one, and if anything still feels stuck, or your eye hurts or your vision changes, get medical care. The label backs that up: Stop use and ask a doctor if you feel eye pain or changes in your vision, if irritation or redness continues, or if the condition worsens or persists for 72 hours.

Ordering

Quell ships within the US from Brentwood, Tennessee, and can be ordered as a guest. Shipping is $10.00, or free with 3 bottles. Eye drops for computer users is worth a look if your woodworking plans live on a screen as well.