Eye injuries are a common cause of emergency department attendances. Caregivers at home can help the injured by following a few important but simple steps to assess the seriousness of the injury. The following are a few guidelines depending on the kind of emergency, however, do not hesitate to consult a doctor or better yet an ophthalmologist in case of any emergency.
For Chemical Exposure
- Don’t rub eyes.
- Immediately wash out the eye with lots of water. Use whatever is closest — water fountain, tap water, drinking water.
- Get medical help while you are doing this, or after 15 to 20 minutes of continuous flushing.
- Don’t bandage the eye
For a Blow to the Eye
- Apply a cold compress, but don’t put pressure on the eye.
- Take over-the-counter pain killers for pain.
- If there is bruising, bleeding, change in vision, or it hurts when your eye moves, see a doctor right away.
For a Foreign Particle in Eye
- Don’t rub the eye.
- Pull the upper lid down and blink repeatedly.
- If particle is still there, rinse with clean drinking water.
- If rinsing doesn’t help, see a doctor.
It’s important to be aware of the risk of an eye injury. It happens when least expected, hence be careful! A cricket ball comes sailing right at your eye. Or you accidentally splash drain cleaner and a bit gets into your eye. And just like that, you have an eye injury.
The delicate tissues inside and around your eye need protection. Find out what causes most eye injuries, and how to prevent them.
1. Blow to the Eye
A strike to the eye with a hard object like a cricket or tennis ball, rock, or fist can damage the eye, eyelids, and muscles or bones that surround the eye.
If the injury is mild, you may get a swollen eyelid or black eye. If it’s more severe, you might also notice bleeding inside the eye.
If you’re hit hard enough, it could break the bones around your eye. Sometimes the eye muscles get trapped inside the broken bone and will need to be freed with surgery.
2. Cut or Scratch
A stick, finger, or other object can accidentally get into your eye and scratch the cornea, the clear dome-like cover over your eye. A scratch can cause symptoms like
- Blurred vision
- Light sensitivity
- Pain
- Redness
- Excess tears
Small scratches usually heal on their own. Deeper injuries can cause long-term vision problems.
3. Object in the Eye
Grains of sand, wood chips, metal shavings, or slivers of glass can get into the eye. A sharp object inside your eye can scratch or cut your cornea.
Having something in your eye will feel uncomfortable and it might make your eye water. When the cornea is scratched, it will feel like something is inside your eye and you can’t get it out.
4. Chemical Burns
It’s common to get soap, shampoo, or makeup in your eyes. While these might burn a little bit, flushing out your eyes with water should help.
Certain chemicals can cause very serious burns inside your eyes. Among the most dangerous chemicals are alkalis, such as drain cleaners and fertilizers. They attack the tissues of the eye very quickly and cause damage or even blindness. Acids like bleach and toilet cleaner chemicals can also cause injury. Vapours from chemicals can cause irritation.
The amount of damage depends on the chemical, how long it’s in the eye, and how deep inside it went. The best way to treat a chemical burn is to flush out the eye with cool water for at least 15 minutes. Then get medical help immediately. A lot depends on how well and how early an ophthalmologist can start treatment for a chemical injury.
A special word on Chunna Injury (Alkali). Chunna is very freely available in paan shops in our region, and many times it is children who fetch it for their parents. Chunna in the hands of children can be very dangerous, please keep chunna away from them – even a small speck of chunna in the eye can cause irreversible and severe damage to the transparent covering of the eye(the cornea) and can lead to severe and permanent loss of vision.
5. Sharp Projectile Injury (penetrating Injury)
Any sharp projectile(for eg – a piece of glass, a sharp pencil, an iron splinter) injury to the eye can be a devastating event for the eye.
A deep cut and injuries associated with a loss of vision, pain, or broken bone need medical help.
Go to your ophthalmologist immediately if you have any of these signs of a more serious eye injury:
- A noticeable drop in vision
- Bleeding from the eye
- Swelling in the eye
- Double vision
- Severe pain
- Torn eyelid
- Deep ache around the eye and brow
- Headache
