First aid for eye injury

WOULD YOU KNOW what to do in case you or those around you got an eye injury?

If you do not, it is time you learnt first aid that could just save yours, or someone else’s eye. Injuries to the eye can be as minor as irritation in case pepper gets into the eye, to very serious ones that can lead permanent vision loss.

Like other accidents, eye injuries can happen just about anywhere, including at work, at the playground, or at home while carrying out normal household chores.

Common injuries include scratches, blows, cuts, and foreign bodies getting into the eye, exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light and chemicals getting into the eyes.

Possible signs of an eye injury include bloody spots in the clear area of the eye, cut or torn eyelid, inability to move one eye, pain, visual difficulty, abnormal shape or size of the pupil and objects in the eye that cannot be easily removed.

Here are some common eye injuries and how you can handle them

Foreign body or tiny debris in the eye: If an object gets in the eye, avoid rubbing it, since this can cause irritation. If the speck is not lodged in the eye, first wash your hands to avoid infection or further contamination, and try to gently remove it by:

Gently opening the eye with your fingers and blowing into the eyeball to try and dislodge the debris.

This works if you’re administering first aid to someone else.

 Blink severally. This will cause tears, which might flush out the speck.

 Flush out the eye using clean cool water. You can do this when sitting down, your head tilted backwards. The injured eye should be in a lower position than the other eye. Using a cupped hand or a glass, continually pour water across the injured eye from the bridge of your nose. You can also rinse the eye using a hosepipe with low flow or rinse the eye under a shower.

Note that, if the object does not come off after flushing out, or seems to be lodged in the eye, do not force it out. Removing the object forcefully can worsen the problem or cause trauma to the eye. If the object is stuck, gently pad the eye using a clean cloth and seek medical help immediately.

Chemical exposure:

If you wear contact lenses, take them out immediately in case chemical gets into your eyes. Flush the eyes out using cool running water for about 15 minutes, and then seek medical help immediately. If possible, carry with you the bottle containing the chemical to help the doctor know what exactly you have been exposed to.

Blow to the eye:

Gently apply an ice pack or a cold compress on the injured part to ease pain and swelling. If there is bleeding, apply pressure to ease it.

However, do not apply too much pressure since the bleeding could be originating from inside the eye. If you experience pain, blurred vision, or have a black eye even after suffering a light blow, see a doctor immediately because even a light blow can lead to a major eye injury.

Cut in the eye:

Gently pad the eye with a clean cloth and seek medical help immediately. If you have an eye injury, have it examined by an ophthalmologist as soon as you can, even if you think the injury is minor. This is because it is not always possible to identify a serious eye injury immediately.