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Shot In The Eye - Through Full Seal Goggles - Big Warning On Eyepro


cardkid2331

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Hey Fellas,

 

First off, great game today at MCC as usual!

 

Second, I just wanted to offer a reminder about eyepro...and perhaps provide a heads up that "Full Seal" goggles still carry a risk.  I was shot today in the eye while wearing my full seal ANSI Revision Locust goggles and mesh lower (I know many others use these same goggles).  Those that know me know that I'm pretty strict on safety - especially face and eye protection.  I was baffled and so were most who saw me afterwards.

 

Needless to say, it wasn't very fun and I spent the afternoon at the eye doctor.  (For future reference, I learned the ER is worthless for eyes and you should see if you can find a doctor on call somewhere).  I showed the doctor the goggles, and he too was pretty surprised.

 

I have to follow up in a week, but indeed there was some "minor trauma" and fluid on my retina from the hit.  I consider myself lucky that it wasn't more serious or that the BB didn't shatter.

 

Pictures of the eye and the gear I wear are below.  So I did find out what happened.  I got a BB right at the top of my nose in the perfect place where it was able to shoot under the rubber seal with the force it was carrying.  My nose took a decent amount of the blow so I was lucky.  Is this pretty rare?  I would think so, but it did happen to me.  I definitely will be ditching all goggles and switching to a full facemask.

 

But the other reason I say this is because so many people today (and at most other games) were wearing shooting style glasses, and other non-full seal goggles.  If this can happen with full seal goggles, please think again about lesser eyepro.

 

IMG_2150_zps3vtwxhrq.jpg

 

IMG_2151_zpscryrza7b.jpg

 

 

 

 

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Glad you're eye is intact. Nothing is fool proof unfortunately. I've seen several instances where Full Seal have failed the wearer in some fashion.

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A lot of people get the notion full seal and such means nothing can ever possibly get in your face, and that's a fallacy.

The best eye pro is the shit you wont be taking off to wipe or screw with your face because they are fucking you up.  I just ran full seal stamped steel at the most violent MSW event to date, and never had an issue.  A lot of people ran non-sealing ANSI rated goggles/glasses/etc too, with no problems.

The whole 'full seal is the end all' line, is crap.  Things will still get in.

I have used goggles and glasses for vehicular extrication, and funny story about it, the only time I have ever had glass in my eyes was when someone either did something horrendously stupid before I could get eye protection on, or I was wearing full seal ESS Fire Fighting goggles.

Everytime I've worn safety 'glasses', I've been fog free, and never got anything in my face.

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Yup. I definitely found that out and that's why I posted this. I had the understanding I was safe and so did most of our buddies.

Gotta call an ophthalmologist today as a black spot appeared in my vision last night...bah.

Edited by cardkid2331
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Wow, I hope that heals up well. I started to get nervous about my goggles when we were playing a few weeks ago. My lower mask kept riding up pushing my goggles away from my face. I'll probably either be going sans lower mask or full face mask as you mentioned.

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BBs carry some of the Magnus effect from the hop through impact and tend to roll up contours on your body.

 

That has more to do with the rubber seal than anything; I'm glad you are okay and I hope the black spot heals.

There's a reason ESS has a clip-on kit for airsofters that protects the vents and bridge of the nose.

Revision Locusts have relatively soft rubber around the nose and it's not folded onto itself there like the other parts are. I highly recommend allowing your shemagh/gaiter to overlap the bridge of your nose or attaching a mesh bridge piece to cover the spot left exposed. Locusts don't seem to work well with most mesh lowers unless you modify the lower and 70% of locust wearers who use mesh masks have a visible gap in which you can see the eyes because of how the lower pushes against the goggles. My goggles have the nose bridge a bit lower and tighter, so it's much less of a concern with me.

 

I've seen people wearing Low-Pro seal goggles and somehow, from the perfect sideways angle, a DMR had enough velocity to push through the neoprene lining and impact an eyesocket. Guy was okay.

 

My goggles leave temporary imprints on my face after each match because of how tight I wear them.

 

Check in a mirror from every conceivable angle to see how tight the seal is, typically goggles should be considered base-layer on your face, but I feel more comfortable if it's strapped hella tight and I have some fabric underneath.

 

On a site note, if you keep using locusts, Removing the dust filters for ventilation further reduces your side impact resistance, so don't do that. Just grab some Anti Fog and apply them when you can at the staging area.

Edited by Sturm
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I'm glad the injury to your eye was not worse than it is. As someone who has also taken a BB to the eye (many years ago) I understand how scary the situation can be. Luckily for me my eyesight returned after about a month of only being able to see black.

 

Oddly enough an eye injury in Airsoft is not as common as you might think regardless of the eye protection. Things like sprains, breaks, cuts, etc happen way more frequently.

 

Thanks for posting this. And best of luck in your recovery.

 

~Joker

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Oddly enough an eye injury in Airsoft is not as common as you might think regardless of the eye protection. Things like sprains, breaks, cuts, etc happen way more frequently.

 

 

 

Teeth are far more common than most injuries, sadly... We can thank the 'just increase the FPS' crowd for that one.

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Teeth are far more common than most injuries, sadly... We can thank the 'just increase the FPS' crowd for that one.

 

Operation Homeland 2014.....You can ask Red2 all about it...

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Operation Homeland 2014.....You can ask Red2 all about it...

 

Indianapolis Indoor Airsoft 2013... Lump took a revolver to the face and we all had a laugh

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Indianapolis Indoor Airsoft 2013... Lump took a revolver to the face and we all had a laugh

 

I remember that!

 

Back on subject though:

 

I recall a game out near Richmond at Predator Zone.  A guy was hiding behind a bunker and the only thing that he was showing was the top of his head and his goggles.  I popped a couple of shots off and plinked him right in the face.

 

Unbeknownst to me, I actually shot him in the nose and the BB ricocheted into his goggles.  I think the real saving grace was that I was a fair distance away and I think I was shooting probably about 330fps using .20g.

 

Since then, I rarely ever headshot someone and try to restrain my shots if I can't guarantee a body shot.

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Since then, I rarely ever headshot someone and try to restrain my shots if I can't guarantee a body shot.

 

This. I occasionally watch Novritsch, and it's a cringefest. People rarely use mesh lowers, and 80% of the community over there uses tactical glasses. Arm shots are okay, I'll probably think twice if I'm shooting hot enough (Think Sniper) and the dudes wearing short sleeves though.

 

ThunderBs are also a concern for me. I wear Hearing pro, but I do my best to throw them *near* people and not directly on people. 180db isn't kind on your ears.

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Glad to hear you didn't lose a eye that was a very close call.

it used to be a common rule no shooting at the face/head  and if was the only thing showing semi only and you had to be shooting sub 350 or have a med of what ever was set for that game  or switch to side arm. but these days that's too much to ask, people can't even read the camo and gun restrictions.

Edited by PELI
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Operation Homeland 2014.....You can ask Red2 all about it...

Y u do dis?

 

...

 

It took place in an old mall in Ohio. That was actually the best and worst part. The worst part was dodging out of an intense firefight and getting popped in the grill. I spat out 3 BBS and half of my lower tooth. It kinda sucked.

 

For real though, accidents happen. Sorry to hear about the eye though.

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Thanks for all the replies.  Had a visit today with the ophthalmologist and he says it should all clear up within a month and we'll follow up then.  Just some swelling on the retina that should go away with time.

 

I definitely agree eye injuries are rare.  I was just unlucky.  But then again, myself and the others in our group (which aren't as experienced as many of you) simply had the impression that full seal was the end all to eye injuries.  I just posted this in case others new to the sport had the same impression.

 

I definitely knew teeth were a big risk without a mesh lower.  It amazes me how many people go unprotected.

 

It's crazy to hear about all of your experiences...we've got some war stories after all eh?

Edited by cardkid2331
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  • 1 month later...

Great information, and thank you for the followup. Although yes, it is certainly rare due to the stringent requirements of most Airsoft Fields, but people should certainly be aware of this risk...

As with so many sport, there are risks that come with it. That was a miracle shot, being sealed, but miracles do happen...

I have also seen the non-sealed "shooting-style" glasses on the field, and I think this brings to light two important issue.

1. If you are wearing non-fully sealed goggles of any type, you are obviously risking your eye-site...People like to think they are "tough", or it "won't happen", and those are often the people that end up being the brunt of the you-tube caution videos...

Just as importantly is this:

2. If you get injured (especially as a minor), the field will likely be sued because they didn't appropriately baby-sit the players...Say "bye bye" to the field if so...

 

If you enjoy having a place to play, don't risk it...Wear eye-pro :)

 

Happy hunting!

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