Read this!

[FrankenScagMachines]

First of all, let me say that this applies to all of the Lawnsite.com readers, and everyone else walking the face of North America!
It may be alittle long winded, but you need to read it anyway.

Yesterday I got out my mower to mow my lawn. At the beginning, I was mowing around my mailbox at the side of the highway, and there's a small boulder/huge rock about 5 feet from the mailbox, somehow, my mower picked up something, I don't know if it was a rock or something else, I think a peice of plastic or something, and flung it up at my right eye. I suppose it hit the boulder and came back at me. That was yesterday afternoon. It hurt for a few minutes, and was watering, but I kept going thinking it didn't do anything. This a.m. I woke up and it took a couple hours for it to get to normal, it was watering and not wanting to stay open or focus on anything. So after a while it got some better but still felt like a headache and any brightness bothered the heck out of it. So scheduled an appointment at the optometrist (sp?) So a couple hours ago I went to him, and he looked at it and was really shocked- the whatever it was cut my eye (or lens???) 3/4 of the way through, he said 8-9mm through. I don't know exactly what he meant, but he put some special eyedrops in my eyes and put a contact lens over it as a patch thing and I have to put drops in every hour, and he expects it to be 4 or 5 days before it is healed. I have to go back in the morning and maybe again. No mowing or anything exciting for a couple days. He said that if we had not come to him, I would have been in the emergency room by tonight.
Let this be a lesson to us:
SAFETY FIRST AND FOREMOST, ALWAYS!
From now on I will wear at least sunglasses if not safety glasses when mowing. Before I would always wear safety glasses when string trimming, but now I'll wear something mowing too.
Regards,
Eric

[lawnkid]

Just a rule of thumb: Always check the yard you're mowing before you turn on the blades. Pick up all large twigs, rocks, and garbage. I'm sure you're careful but sometimes even the smallest things like a small peice of mulch can severly damage your eye. Although I never wear safety glasses while mowing, it probably would be a good idea. Always wear long pants and safety glasses while trimming and edging, and earplugs when using the blowers.

[Toroguy]

Eric,

Sorry to hear this. Thanks for sharing your misfortune with everyone. I hope your recovering well.

Its easy to take things for granted, sight isn't one of them.

[SLS]

Yep...safety glasses are a priority for me. I'm a solo operator and cannot afford to lose an eye (or two) or incur any unnecessary 'downtime' from an eye injury.

I wear a pair of Silencio 'shooters glasses' with the amber lenses. They are a polycarbonite 'wraparound' style and work VERY well. They have been hammered a few times and I sure was glad I was wearing them. Stop into your local sporting goods/gun shop and look at the selection on high quality safety eyewear. It could save your vision.

Ear plugs are a good idea too...and not just because of noise. Ever thwor something small into your ear while edging...and couldn't get it out? It can happen...believe me.

I hope the eye recovers quickly, Eric...with no damage to your vision.

BTW:

I just picked up a new client last week who was riding her mower and bounced a stone off of a tree into her eye...damaging the cornea...and resulting in permanently blurred vision. The ironic thing is that she was already totally blind...in the other eye. Now her "good eye" is bad too! :eek:

[AndyL]

Sorry to hear that!

I've never gotten deck/head fodder to the eye, but I know the pain well (I get corneal ulcers when I get stressed, same idea/pain)

Even some of the vetrans need reminders now and again... There's is nothing safe about our job. Blowpacks (400mph wind can MOVE some rocks too), trimmers, mowers, all our equipment has its inherent risks.

Not meaning to preach, but get yourself a good pair of tinted safety glasses (comfortable ones) Put em on, while you're driving to work, take em off, on the way home... Don't forget the safety glasses when you're doing shop maintenance too, gas splashes, who knows what's going to drop in your face while your under the deck trying to get the blades off. Sharpening blades shouldn't even need to be brought up, but when was the last time you saw someone sharpen blades with safety glasses on?

I've tried to 'beat' safety into helpers in years past, I've given up, I make sure they know what safety gear they need for each piece of equipment (Had a big yellow print out on the dash, with all our equipment listed and PPE required to use it) I make sure its stocked in the vehicle. It seems to take just such an accident to make them learn. And unfortunately, it seems to happen every year!

Glad your injury is only a temporary 'headache' make sure to use those drops (they're probably anti-biotics). And maybe it will be a good reminder to you (and through here, others) that there is a reason why our mowers/trimmers/etc have a yellow sticker on them listing all the required PPE.

Andy

[sheppard]

Glad you got to the M.D. right away. I gotta say that I do not crank up anything (except the blower) w/o saftey glasses on. I have shaded and claer safety glasses (for foggy days or early morning cutting).

Forgot how many times I was cutting or trimming and a 'rock' hit my glasses hard! This happens about once a week. Just the right amount of time to remind me to keep those saftey glasses on.

I think I look better with them on anyway (ha!)

Cordially,
Sheppard

[mowerman90]

Let's all remember to wear safety glasses/faceshield when sharpening blades too. This morning after loading up my equipment I went back into the garage to sharpen 3 blades the neighbor had brought down yesterday for me to sharpen. I don't know what happened, but the 1"x10" grinding wheel on my blade grinder shattered. Nothing hurt, no damage (except to the guard) but I'm sure glad I was wearing a face shield. You never know when these things will happen.

[WildWes]

I have a bad experience to share here, it didn't result in injury thankfully. About 12 years ago while mowing my parents lawn on a tractor I saw a car coming down the road and figured I had time to turn around on their drive before the car would come by. A minute later ther's an irate man in the yard screaming at me. The mower had picked up a rock and shot it through his open window past his and his girlfriends faces exiting out her closed window. What a close call!! While the guy did finally admit he was going about 70mph, it was still my fault for guessing his speed and not disengaging the blades. It was a bad experience but a learning experience just the same, I imagine that one little rock could have seriously hurt either of them or maybe worse. Use caution at all times!

[Turf Technologies]

my brother just got his new Viper and was using it and as normal grass was flying up form under the deck, well some how a little seed got in his eye and cupped on to it , same thing could see and was watery.Then the eye closed shut.he had to have it removed.Glasses are important.

[TFL]

No telling how many times safety glasses have saved my in the shop and while mowing.

[Runner]

Originally posted by mowerman90
Let's all remember to wear safety glasses/faceshield when sharpening blades too. I went to sharpen 3 blades. I don't know what happened, but the 1"x10" grinding wheel on my blade grinder shattered.

This is the second time in as many weeks that I've heard of a grinding wheel exploding.:blob4:

[Scag48]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. I wear prescription glasses that offer SOME protection, but not enough. I always wear my helmet that has a visor. I love the thing. Stihl makes it and it's got a mesh visor that keeps just about everything out and has earmuffs so it's and all-in-one deal. Protects those freak accident head shots, the occasional eye shots, and the full time hum of the mower. Since I'm not Insured yet, this is the best insurance I can get myself.

[anythinglawns]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Glad it wasn't worse. I always tell the guys working for me that at least some sort of glasses are required anytime they are using power equipment. Of course they don't listen and they don't bring any so I keep a couple of pair in my glove box for them. I try to use ugly ones for spare so they will remember to bring there own.

Today though a small rock flew from under my mower and some how went straight up my nose. It did not lodge much as I was able to "blow" it out. Crazy things happen.

[vipermanz]

any time i do work i always protect my eyes and ears, i like my stock parts just fine;)

[FrankenScagMachines]

Thanks guys, i'm doing much better now. Woke up this morning and almost forgot i had the problem... Went to doc again this a.m. and he said it's doing much better, and I asked more specifically what is cut, and he said the cornea is cut 3/4 of the way deep, and 8 to 9 mm long. Any deeper and I would've required surgery, as it is I'm a "walk out victim" WOW! The drops he had me taking one bottle once every hour and another 4 times a day, well he said drop that one and the first one I can take 4x a day. I feel tons better but he wants me back in Friday too. Okay with me, I dont' wanna take any chances! This is one of those times that makes you glad you went ahead and went to the doctor, and I wasn't that worried about it, but mom wanted me to go in, good thing, cause he said I would have been in the emergency room the night of the 2nd day, when I saw him. Someone upstairs is keeping an eye on me!:angel: :)
Scag48 - how much does that helmet/muffs from Stihl cost? Sounds like a good investment. Is it kinda bulky?

Thanks for your concern and I wish you all safety this season! From now on i'm wearing sunglasses or safety glasses when mowing!;)

[proline32]

Last year on one of my jobs, I started to do some trimming in an area where there was blackberry brambles growing, and I didn't think about making sure I had my safety glasses on because I was right in the middle of the job and didn't want to stop to go back to the truck to put them on. Well, I hit one of those large brambles with all the thorns and stuff and that sucker hit me right square in the eye, really sent me reeling in pain. I had to stop and have an employee take me to the hospital to be looked at, well any how I had a couple of thorns do some damage and couldn't see out of that eye good for weeks. I'm very lucky I did not loose the eye. But After that I purchased a face shield and wear safety glasses, nowdays I make it a habit to put them on BEFORE I get out of the truck to start any work.

[Toroguy]

Its good to hear everything is going good Eric!

Now for something completely different...

What the..?

Originally posted by SLS

I just picked up a new client last week who was riding her mower and bounced a stone off of a tree into her eye...damaging the cornea...and resulting in permanently blurred vision. The ironic thing is that she was already totally blind...in the other eye. Now her "good eye" is bad too! :eek:

Thats insane! How many fingers does she still have?

[SLS]

Toroguy:

Yeah, I thought that was totally ironic/wierd too.

Now for some further irony:

I mowed her lawn last season. I called her several times back in Febuary (with all of my other clients) to see if we were going to schedule her for this season too. She was the only one who did not call me back after several messages were left for her so I scratched her off of my list. Actually I was kinda relieved because her lawn is not so nice (or easy) and I'm getting rather full with new (and better) accounts. She thought she would save a buck, ran out and bought a brand new Crapsman rider, and used it all of TWICE before I got the call. I should have jacked her price...just for blowing me off and not having the courtesy to return my calls and tell me what was up. Karma???

Anyone in the market for a new Crapsman 48"???

I'll check out her fingers and toes on Saturday! :D

[TJLC]

I wear my safety glasses now whether I'm mowing, trimming, edging, blowing, etc. I hate to admit but I had to get hit in the eye before I got smart. Be careful.

[PrimeGreen Lawn]

Same here as far as when I learned. Now I fire my employees if I see them without eye protection 3 times. These guys are hard to find, but they all understand why it's so important.