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Sight is precious. The eyes are very susceptible to injury. Prompt and appropriate action when a person's eye is injured may preserve eyesight.
IF A CHEMICAL IS SPLASHED INTO A PERSON'S EYE: - Rinse the eye with gently running water for at least 20 minutes.
- Hold the person's eyelids open while you do this.
- Turn their head to the side so that the chemical does not run into the unaffected eye.
- If the person is a small child, get into a shower with them. Be prepared for a lot of struggling, but be firm. Do not take time to undress before you get into the shower.
- After the 20 minutes of rinsing, immediately call the Poisons Information Centre. Follow their exact directions.
Do not try to remove small objects embedded in the eye. If a very small object such as a speck of sawdust is floating on the eye, you may try to remove it. Pull the lower lid down while the person looks up. If you see the object, try to remove it by touching it with a clean cloth or piece of gauze. Do not use your finger or fingernail. If nothing is under the lower lid, pull the upper lid outwards and down over the lower lid. This may dislodge the particle, which you can then pick off with the cloth. If pain or irritation persists more than a few minutes after this procedure, or if you cannot find the particle, call your doctor. Do not put a sharp object, such as tweezers or a toothpick, in the eye. More serious eye injuries include objects embedded in the eye, fractures of bones around the eye, bleeding in the eye, fluid coming out of the eye, or the eye protruding from its socket. IF ANY OF THESE INJURIES IS PRESENT: - Cover both eyes with a soft cloth pad or wadded up gauze. This will decrease the movement of the injured eyeball.
- Do not put pressure onto the injured eye.
Article #4917 Copyright (c) 2002 McKesson. All Rights Reserved. |
