Eye Injuries
How urgent are eye injuries?
All eye injuries are potentially serious and should be examined by a doctor as soon as possible after the application of first aid. Even a superficial graze can lead to scarring of the eye’s surface cornea, or to the onset of an infection. This, in turn, can affect eyesight and may even cause blindness.
A cut to the eye
The eye can be cut by the entry of a sharp fragment of glass, metal or grit. If the eye is cut, or there is anything embedded in it, do not touch it.
First aid procedure:
1. Get the casualty to lie down on his or her back and close both eyes as movement in the undamaged eye will also affect the injured one. It is very important that the casualty keeps it still, so as to avoid any further damage.
2. Gently cover the eye with an eye pad, a handkerchief or an unmedicated dressing. Secure it lightly with a bandage.
3. It is advisable to bandage both eyes again, because the two eyes move together in unison, so as to prevent any movement. Explain why you are doing this to the casualty and offer reassurance.
4. Take offer send dial 000 the casualty to hospital lying flat.
A blow to the eye
A blow to the eye may cause bleeding behind the cornea. Blood may then be visible in the iris the coloured part around the pupil. In this case the injury may be serious. Do not delay: place a loosely bound dressing over the eye and then dial 000 for medical help immediately.
However, bleeding in the white of the eye is not necessarily serious, although you should still see your doctor. It occurs quite commonly and may have no obvious cause.
A black eye
An injury to the soft tissues in and around the eye socket or to the eyelid, can cause a bruise that swells and discolours dramatically, known as a black eye. Both swelling and discoloration are a result of bleeding under the skin.
First aid procedure:
1. Apply a clean, cold, wet cloth to the area for 10 minutes.
2. Reduce the swelling by placing a cloth-covered plastic bag filled with ice against the eye. A pack of frozen peas is suitable.
3. If the swelling is so large that the casualty is not able to see, cover the eye with a dressing.
4. If any disturbance of vision follows a blow to the eye, seek medical aid.
A foreign body in the eye
A speak of dust or grit or a loose eyelash are the most common foreign bodies to enter the eye. They can be very irritating and, if lodged under an eyelid, may cause inflammation, watering, blurred vision, and considerable pain.
A foreign body on the white of the eye should not be difficult to remove. However, do not attempt to remove anything on the coloured part of the eye the iris or the pupil or embedded in the eye but seek immediate medical aid instead.
First aid procedure:
1. Ask the casualty not to rub the eye. Advise him for her to blink rapidly a few times instead.
2. If this does not work, ask the casualty to sit down, facing the light. Stand behind the casualty and ask him or her to lean back. Then, holding the chin with one hand and using the index finger and thumb of the other hand, open the affected eye. Ask the casualty to look in each direction in turn up, down, left and right so enabling you to examine every part of the eye.
3. If you can see the foreign body, try to flood it out with clean preferably sterile water using a glass or an eye irrigator. Failing that, use a jug of tap water or place the casualty’s head under a running tap. Incline the casualty’s head away from the sound eye, so that the water drains away over the cheek.
4. If this does not work, ask the casualty to look up. Pull down the lower lid and, if you can see the offending object, remove it gently with the rolled, damp corner of a clean handkerchief or tissue, or with a moistened swab.
5. If none of this works, cover the affected area with an eye pad and seek medical aid.
A chemical in the eye
A corrosive chemical that enters the eye, whether liquid or solid, can damage the surface of the eye and may cause scarring and even dlindness. It is important to wash it out as quickly as possible.
First aid procedure:
1. Tilt the head so that the injured eye is downward. This prevents the chemical running into the unaffected parts of the eye.
2. Keep the eye open gently with your fingers and rinse out the eye with cold running water.
3. Continue rinsing the eye for 10-15 minutes. It may well take that long before the chemical is thoroughly washed out.
4. Close the eye, cover it with a clean, dry pad, and seek medical aid at once.
Flash burns to the eye
Prolonged exposure to glare from a bright surface, such as snow or water, or from ultra-violet light, or a welding torch, can damage the surface of the eye. Symptoms, such as pain, sensitivity to light, redness and watering, may not appear for some time.
First aid procedure:
1. Reassure the casualty and then cover both eyes with sterile eye pads.
2. Take or send dial 000 the casualty to hospital.
How can I avoid eye injury?
- Always wear protective goggles if you are working with high speed machinery including garden strimmers or spraying chemicals into the air.
- If you wear spectacles, use plastic lenses if you participate in any sport.
- Be sure never to direct any sharp or pointed object towards the eye.
Health & Medicine Power Search: