Eye Emergency: What to Do If a Chemical Gets In Your Eye

Eye Emergency greenfield | Longwood Eye & LASIK Center Getting an eyelash in your eye is one thing but getting something more serious in your eye like a chemical or cleaning agent is a little more worrisome. Whether you work in an industry where you are more prone to injury, or you simply got into an accident while cleaning your house, it’s important that you know exactly what to do if you ever get in this situation. From calling poison control to flushing your eye out, this article will discuss a few steps. Read on to learn more.

Call Poison Control

When you look on the back of the bottle of the chemical that got into your eye it likely says something like, “If it comes into contact with your eye call poison control.” By calling the experts, they can let you know whether or not you should head into the emergency room or if you can flush it out of your eyes. If your little one is the one who got something in their eye, make sure to explain all of their symptoms to the poison control staff member you are talking to. The more detailed you are, the better suggestions they will be able to give you.

Emergency Room

If you are unable to open your eye, if it is bright red, or extremely inflamed, then you should head to your emergency room— your eyesight is never worth messing with. If, however, the discomfort subsides after about 30 minutes, then you are most likely in the clear.

Flush It

As soon as you get a chemical agent in your eye, the best thing you can do is flush it out. To properly flush out your eye you have a few options. If you have an eyedropper or syringe on hand, fill it with warm water. Then with a clean hand, hold your eye open and slowly drop the water into it. The combined pressure of the water along with the liquid will work to push the chemical out of your eye.

If you don’t have an eye dropper or syringe, simply take two clean hands and cup water in them. Then, slowly dip your eye into your hands and blink— this is another way to flush out your eyes.

Accidents happen. If you were recently in an accident in which chemicals came into contact with your eyes, use the tips above. Additionally, make sure to schedule a follow-up appointment with us at Longwood Eye & LASIK Center. To learn more about your vision health, contact Longwood Eye & LASIK Center today!

 

 

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