Health Topics for Prepare for Emergencies

Department of Emergency Medicine

Emergency Medical Services Learning Resources Center

Eye injuries

When most people clean their house, mow the lawn, play sports, work on their car, or perform other activities of daily living, the last thing they think about is their eyes. Protecting your eyes should be one of the first things you think about. Eyesight is precious and the majority of us take our vision for granted. The eyes are very susceptible to injury. About one million eye injuries occur in the United States each year. Prompt and appropriate action when a person's eye is injured may preserve eyesight.

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. Do not rub the eye, because it can cause more damage to the eye tissue. It there is still a speck noted try flushing the eye with cool water. Do not put a sharp object, such as tweezers or a toothpick, in the eye. If pain or irritation persists more than a few minutes after this procedure, or if you cannot find the particle, call your healthcare provider.

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. These are medical emergencies. If any of these injuries are present prompt action needs to be taken to prevent the loss of sight. Both eyes need to be covered 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, and call 911 for immediate emergency help.

Chemicals in the eyes can cause severe pain and injury. Start first aid measures quickly to minimize the risk of permanent injury or loss of sight. Emergency treatment for chemical burns in the eyes includes:

• rinse the eyes immediately with gently flowing water for at least 20 minutes (Rinse right over contact lenses, do not remove them. Hold the victim's head under the faucet or pour cool to lukewarm water into the eye.)
• after a few minutes, begin to rinse the unaffected eye, because the rinsing process could wash some of the chemical into the unaffected eye
• consider standing in a shower while rinsing the eyes, especially with children (Do not take time to remove any clothes.)
• be firm with children and rinse for at least 20 minutes before doing anything else (It can be very difficult to rinse the eyes of a small child, because the child will struggle violently.)
• after 20 minutes of rinsing, call the Poison Control Center for advice (Know the name of the chemical so you can report exactly what was splashed into the eye. An eye exam by an emergency physician or ophthalmologist will often be recommended.)

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

HIL File PREP4917.RF2 VRS# 4917 Data Version 7.0 Copyright 1999, 2002-2003 McKesson Health Solutions LLC. All rights reserved.