Topic: Warning to all

[Aidy]

Being a Dispensing Optician you will think I would always do as I preach and use eye protection when strimming etc. Well I did but I used sunglasses to act as a barrier and a small piece of  what I was strimming managed to get into my eye, it wasn't painfull at first but after a while there was a nasty reaction possibly by the sap, all of last night I had considerable pain and a thick mucus forming, fortunately I had a good idea of what to use and have kept it at bay, I had my colleague look at it today and things are starting to settle but it could of been worse, so to give you all a friendly reminder and please use goggles when strimming, trimming etc.
Aidy

[wardy]

I agree!  My OH who is not in the least safety conscious (understatement) had a fight with a strimmer and lost.  He had a face like Al Capone for weeks  :(

[philcooper]

I think it was on one of the "out take" TV programmes that Bob Flowerdew was seen strimming the grass just outside his house wearing goggles but no face protection.

The strimmer hit some rather soft dog muck in the long grass and he got a face full - very organic but not pleasant even to watch

Phil

[Aidy]

There lies the other problem with no face protection--- Toxocara canis,(infection by doggy doo) can infect the eye with a nasty parasite which can wipe out the retina in no time leaving you blind. We have two patients who were infected as youngsters and it has made a real mess of the eye. Sorry to be so serious so early in the morning but as with other threads the plot is a dangerous place. I have added a link to a site so you can see what happens, scroll down and look for Toxoplasmosis. http://www.optos.com/foreyecareprofessionals/diseaselibrary/default.aspx
Take care

[tim]

Good advice.

You can replace a leg but not an eye!

[wardy]

I am averse to pain so try and think about what I'm doing first before wading in.  I have a bad back too so I'm being a bit more careful these days.  Just leaving stuff lying about on the plot is easily done but til you get a smack in the face from a rake you'll probably not think twice about it. 

I once watched a demo our our lotty blokes operating a shredder.  I couldn't watch as the bloke put his hands in to extricate some jammed material  :(

[Marianne]

I had a severe problem years ago when I was cutting some euphorbia.

I did not know the white sap was poisonous and got some in my eyes.

My OH had to take me to the eye hospital.

Caution is the name of the game with gardening.  ::) ;)

[Multiveg]

On the subject of eyes, was it on this board that there was someone that had a nasty accident with the top of a cane even though he was wearing specs? I have started to put empty drinks cans and the small water bottles on the top of the cane, what with little one running around the plot...

[maz]

I was in the park a few years ago and walked passed the park staff cutting the grass. As he drove near me I felt * SSSSSPLAT!*  I got half a slug in my eye.

Ewwwwwww not nice but no harm done. 

Good job I'm not 3" shorter and was talking at the time.   :-X

Aidy I hope you have now learned from your ' do as I say, not as I do'  Thanks for the timely reminder   :-*

[wardy]

Rue is lethal stuff!  Always wear gloves if handling it and keep bare legs away from it.  My work colleague was hospitalised when he waded into an overgrown patch of it when he was wearing shorts!  He had very serious burns  :(

[moonbells]

mmm I agree with the safety suggestions, but maz, don't you mean 3" taller?

I have to remember to breathe through the nose while strimming, too. It's all too easy to eat something unpleasant accidentally!

I always strim with goggles and shooting-standard earplugs (don't forget the earplugs too - you only get one pair of ears!) and have even taking to wearing them when mowing the lawn with my cylinder mower as gravel from the path does inevitably wander onto the grass and gets flirted up by the blades.  We have several pairs of safety goggles lurking about the place so we can always find a pair when needed. 

moonbells

[gavin]

Just a little backup to the message - very juicy and over-ripe slug looks much better splattered over the safety visor.  Just a pity the visor didn't come down over my beard on Sunday - anybody read Roal Dahl's The Twits?  You know what I mean!

All best - Gavin