Can you do safe woodworking with one eye?

[Brian Kent]

I just visited a good friend who wants to do more woodworking in his retirement. Yesterday he had glaucoma surgery and 90% of his optic nerve is gone in one eye. His clear vision in that eye is in a very limited area, sort of like tunnel vision. His other eye is fine.

He will retire soon and had hoped to do a lot of woodworking. He now is thinking this is unlikely.

So my question is, Is there a safe way to use tools with possible problems in depth perception?

His power tools are a table saw and a built in router table. I am thinking about extra heavy duty reliance on push sticks and feather boards and jigs - maybe even going as far as a Saw-Stop. For the router table, the same use of extra length push sticks, sleds, etc.

What do you think? Should he give up a dream of woodworking or can he adopt effective safety techniques despite this new handicap?

[Fred Perreault]

I have a close friend, and former employee, that has been totally blind in one eye for 30 years. He is 62 years old, and lost his eye from flying chips from a chainsaw and subsequent complications/surgery. He has been operating heavy machinery.... bulldozers, excavators, backhoes, etc. He also has been his own mechanic and uses all power tools, including radial arm, table saws, routers, etc. There was a serious "break-in" period for him to obtain his own version of depth perception and other vision values. He does have trouble with peripheral vision, and playing ping pong. It just happens too fast for him to adjust to the ball flight.
I'd say that your friend would be fine if he has an inherent grasp of safety, a good feel for woodwork, and a strong desire to keep busy, creative and productive. I imagine that there are others with more experience with this sort of problem.

[Brian Kent]

Thank you Fred.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Brian,

There was even an television article about a guy who professionally builds furniture and he's completely blind. His work was amazingly beautiful.

[Chris Padilla]

We only have one brain so I think one eye would be fine! However, it is up to him as to how he feels about it.

[Jay Runde]

Check this out. This guy is blind and teaches woodworking to the blind so if the blind could woodwork safely, I don't see why a person with one eye could not.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Thanks Jay! Interesting article and person!

[Ole Anderson]

Fear not. Absolutely no reason he shouldn't be able to continue his WW. I have no depth perception and I have as many wood scraps as the next guy.

[paul cottingham]

I have no binocular depth perception for a variety of reasons. Many things affect the quality of my woodworking but my eyesight is not one. I probably have to pay attention a little more than most people would to be safe, but that's not a bad thing. It also encouraged me to use more hand tools. For example, I do almost all my crosscuts with handsaws, then shoot them square with a plane.

[Curt Harms]

I have no binocular depth perception for a variety of reasons. Many things affect the quality of my woodworking but my eyesight is not one. I probably have to pay attention a little more than most people would to be safe, but that's not a bad thing. It also encouraged me to use more hand tools. For example, I do almost all my crosscuts with handsaws, then shoot them square with a plane.

That was my immediate thought. Hand tools and someone with limited vision has a better than average case for a sawstop if they want a table saw.

[Gary Max]

Yup--- as the rest of the members have said--- it can be done.

Personally

Woodworking is dangerous with both eyes working and wearing safety glasses.

[Rich Engelhardt]

I was born with about 90% loss of vision in my right eye.
(My only problem doing WW'ing is that I'm not all that hot at it - but - I keep plugging away.)

Sorry -I really can't be of any help since I was born this way and don't know anything else.
It's not like I experienced a loss of something I never had.

[Belinda Barfield]

It can be done. You can't have depth perception without vision in both eyes, but you can adapt. A person who has had depth perception has a longer "learning" period than one who has never had depth perception. I worked for an ophthalmologist for many years, mainly pediatric, and one of my job duties was evaluating depth perception. For many daily activities it isn't that critical, but when operating saws, etc., it is, so please advise your friend to have a "spotter" in the beginning until he gets a feel for things.

[Matt Meiser]

I've neve had depth perception due to muscle issues I was born with and have had several surgeries for. It causes me some issues but mostly I've learned to be overly cautious so for example I often don't pull far enough into a parking spot. But for woodworking it really doesn't affect me that I know of.

[Brian Kent]

This is all very helpful.