Everybody has accidents. Either we are in a hurry or we aren't paying attention or someone else is doing the same and we suffer the consequences. We just have to accept that accidents happen and deal with them accordingly. With eye injuries the accident and how we deal with it can effect our vision, which is kind of a big deal.
We certainly can’t touch on every possible scenario in this blog but we can cover some of the basic types of eye care emergencies. In major emergencies, of course, call 911. In these scenarios do the best you can to minimize further injury and take the injured to the emergency room or urgent care.
If a blunt or sharp object cuts your eye or eyelid:
- Tape or cover the eye with an object such as a paper cup.
- Don’t flush the eye with water or any fluids.
- Don’t try to remove the object if it is still in your eye.
- Don’t eat or drink anything.
- Go to the emergency room!
If you receive a blow to the eye:
- Go to the emergency room immediately if you have increased pain, decreased vision, or a black eye.
- If you are certain that your eyeball isn't injured you can use a cold compress to reduce swelling, but don’t put pressure on the eyeball.
- Even if your eyeball doesn't appear injured see an eye doctor to make sure.
A chemical splashes into your eye:
- Rinse your eye with tap water for 15 minutes to try to flush out the chemical.
- If you are wearing contact lenses do not try to remove them, you may do worse damage.
- After eye flushing go to the emergency room!
A speck of something in your eye:
- Pull your upper eyelid gently away from your eyeball to see if speck falls out.
- Don’t rub your eyes, you may push the speck in further.
- Let your eyes do the work-let your tears wash it away.
- If eye irritation persists see an eye doctor.
The overall theme here is if you injure your eye and you feel the pain is getting worse and your vision too, get to the emergency room.
At Vision Pro we care about your vision. Please feel free to call or stop in to set up an eye care appointment today!
