MRI on weldors

[Timinmb]

I am slated to have an MRI done on my knee in a couple of months. The Doctor had me fill out a form regarding my occupation. I only do metalworking as a hobby now, but worked as a machinist years ago. They told me that if I had ever had any metal in my eyes, I would need an orbit xray. Now I have never been treated for metal in my eyes, but can't say that I've never had an incident where I didn't feel some grinding dust or whatever strike me in the eye, or have rust or crap fall in my eyes while working under a vehicle.

Anyone know what the consequences are of getting an mri should you have some small amount of metal in your eyes? Does it rip your eyes out or do they catch fire like tinfoil in a microwave:eek: :confused: ?

[tigman]

I had the same thing done and was told that it would pull the metal out of your body, never heard anything about catching on fire or melting but you know doctors don't tell you everything. Scott.

[IanC]

There are a few things that can happen to metal in your body when you have an MRI. First, if the metal is ferromagentic (i.e. will stick to a magnet), there's the chance that the magnetic field from the MRI will move the metal around. If the metal was in your eye, this could damage the lens or retina. The second thing that can happen is that the metal will heat up. Again, this could damage something if it gets hot enough. And the third thing that can happen is that the metal will disrupt the magentic field of the MRI and screw up the image in the area around the metal. This would be a problem if you were getting a brain scan but it's not a problem for your knee. Good luck!