How to Deal with Eye Injuries

If you or someone else has an injured eye avoid rubbing or touching the injured eye as this may cause a foreign body to cut into the surface or a liquid irritant to spread further. Attempt to remove an object such as a speck of grit or and eyelash only if it is floating on the white or under the eyelid. First, try flushing it out. Tilt your head to the injured side and trickle cold or tepid water over the eye from a shower spray or jug. You can also try blinking your eyes underwater in a washbasin or sink.

If flushing fails to do the trick, try lifting the object off the eye with the twisted corner if a tissue or clean handkerchief. Sit in front of a well-lit mirror and gently pull up the upper eyelid (or draw down the lower one).

To remove an object from high up under an eyelid, you need a helper to roll the lid back over a matchstick. Pull the lid by the lashes gently back over the match to expose the underside. The speck can then be removed with the corner of a tissue or clean handkerchief.

Immovable foreign body - Do not try to remove anything that is firmly stuck to the eye or on the pupil or iris. Close the eye and cover it with a pad of cotton gauze or cotton wool. Tape the pad lightly in place to keep eye movement to a minimum, and see a doctor as soon as possible. Follow the same procedure if an eye continues to give trouble after a foreign body has been removed.

Impaled object - Do not attempt to remove any splinter, of glass or metal for example, or any other object impaled in the eye. Call an ambulance at once. If you are tending a casualty, protect the injured eye; cut a hole in a piece of clean cloth and place it over the eye, being careful not to touch it. Over the cloth place a paper or plastic cup and hold this in place with a bandage. If necessary, cover the uninjured eye to stop natural eye movement.

Chemicals - Any chemical that gets into the eye can cause serious damage. Flush the eye immediately with water, holding the eyelids open if necessary. Continue washing out the eye for 10-15 minutes and then cover the eye with a clean dressing and get to a hospital.