Eye injuries can take a great toll on your everyday life—especially when you have no clue of how to handle them. Common eye injuries can include irritation of the outer surface of the eye due to contact with heat or chemicals, as well as corneal scratches and lacerations. Fortunately, eye injury can be prevented. Learn how to handle the most common eye injuries.
Corneal Scratches
These scratches are very uncomfortable and can cause eye redness and sensitivity. Common causes of corneal abrasions are scratches and lacerations caused by foreign bodies such as sand and dust.
Scratches can lead to infections so it is important to not rub or patch your eye. The best way to handle this type of injury is to maintain your eye closed and see your eye doctor as soon as possible.
Chemical Injuries
Exposure to chemicals and fumes can result in serious eye injuries. The most common way to get injured is by transferring chemical substances from your hands to your eyes. However, people need to be careful with fumes, especially in high concentration.
Flushing out your eyeballs with water usually does the trick when it comes to simple irritation, but it may not be the best idea when it comes to serious chemical eye injury. If your vision is blurry and your eyes are extremely red, it is imperative to see your eye doctor immediately. Some chemical substances can lead to serious damage to the eyes and even blindness.
Trauma and Swelling
Getting hit in the eye area can result in swelling, bruising and pain.
If you have a black eye, keeping an ice pack over the affected area for 15 minutes twice a day is the best initial treatment. However, an eye doctor needs to examine the injury and ensure there is no internal damage and your eye doesn’t need further care.
Foreign Objects
Whether they are sharp or blunt, lacerations and foreign objects in the eye can lead to serious ocular injuries—especially when rubbing the affected area or attempting to remove them.
Avoid touching the area and call your eye doctor immediately. Foreign objects need to be removed as soon as possible as they can provoke eye infections and scarring that can lead to more serious issues.
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