INJURIES TO THE EYE

Remember to be extremely gentle and diligent when dealing with any form of eye injury.

Object in Eye
If an object enters the eye attempt to remove with water. Flush the eye with water, from the nose end outwards. Be delicate in handling, because foreign objects can sometimes in fact be a scratch in the eye. If the object is stuck under the upper lid, hold the eye lashes of the upper lid and carefully pull them forward and downwards over the lower lid. The object may get dislodged and stick to the lower lid. Another technique is to roll the upper or lower eyelid over a cotton bud. Then gently remove object with damp sterile cloth or pad.

Embedded Object
Do not remove any objects embedded in the eye. Dial 999 immediately. This type of serious injury requires the careful bandaging of both closed eyes. Any protruding objects need to be stabilised and a cone placed over the eye. If the eye has been burned by chemicals, gas or acid, flush the face, eyes and eyelids with cool water for at least 20 minutes. Make sure the water reaches under the eyelids. Wrap a bandage around both eyes and show the ambulance crew the chemical or substance in question.