What to Do & What Not to Do
The most common eye injuries include getting something stuck in your eye, getting chemicals in your eye, and falling or blunt force trauma. Knowing how to react when you’re experiencing an eye emergency can help protect you from permanent damage and vision loss.
Working with certain types of cleaning products, garden chemicals, or industrial-grade products can be dangerous to your eyes. Always wear the appropriate protective gear to avoid an accident.
If you’ve gotten a chemical in your eye, please thoroughly wash your hands before touching your face. Use cool, clean water to rinse out the affected eyes for 15 minutes while waiting for medical attention.
If you’ve gotten small particles in your eyes such as dust or sand, you can safely try to rinse them out with fresh, clean water or artificial tears. If they don’t flush away, please give us a call or head to the emergency room.
If you’ve gotten a large object stuck in your eye, please don’t remove it. Head to our office or the emergency room as soon as possible.
Cuts, scratches, and bruises on your eyeball or eyelid should immediately be looked at by a medical professional. Injuries to the face and head may cause further damage to the surrounding bone and tissue, so please seek medical attention as soon as you can.
If you find yourself experiencing an eye emergency, please don’t try to treat it yourself. There are things you can do while you’re waiting for medical attention, but refrain from:
- Rubbing or applying pressure to the eye
- Trying to remove objects embedded in the eye tissue or skin
- Using metal tools like tweezers in your eye
- Using medications or ointments without medical direction
Although we hope you never experience an eye emergency, please give us a call if you do.
