Eye Emergencies [Archives:2000/50/Health]

Mahfouth A Bamashmus
FRCSEd, FRCOphth
Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon
Ibn-Al-Haitham Clinic
University of Science & Technology, Sanaa
Allah has given us a lot of things including our eyes and their ability to let us see our environment. Your eyes are two jewels and you should take care of them. Prevention is far better than treatment and you should take care of your eyes before any thing happens to them. If something goes wrong you should seek medical advice as soon as possible and avoid postponing visiting your eye doctor.

Here are some advice and instructions on dealing with eye emergencies:

Chemical powders and liquids:
If your eyes have been exposed to chemicals such as detergents, insecticides or perfumes you need immediately to wash your eyes thoroughly with water. You should keep washing your eyes for a period of time until you feel that all the chemicals have been removed or buffered. Then you need to seek medical advice as soon as possible. The earlier you see the eye doctor the less complications can happen to the eye.

Foreign bodies:
If a foreign goes into your eyes you need to visit your eye doctor as soon as you can. Foreign bodies cause a lot of irritation and discomfort and can lead to serious infections. Avoid rubbing your eyes if a foreign body goes into your eyes and try to wash your eyes to get rid of the foreign body. Rubbing your eyes produces abrasions and damages the outer coat of the eye.

Eye scratches and abrasions:
Your eyes can be injured with something sharp such as metals, tree-branches or while playing with your kids. All these can cause corneal abrasions. If that happens dont take it easy and visit your eye doctor as soon as you can. If you develop an abrasion or an injury to your eyes; then you need to cover your eye with a clean tissue and visit your eye doctor immediately to get the right treatment. Corneal abrasions can develop into serious eye infections if not treated properly, especially those related to tree branches.

Eye infections:
If you develop a red eye and you think it is an eye infection; dont use any drops available at home. An eye infection can be due to bacteria or a virus and each of them needs a different treatment. You need to see your eye or family doctor to get the right medications. Cleaning the eye is the main treatment in these cases. So use clean disposable soft tissues

Routine eye exam by an eye specialist is very important.
It is your sight and your eyes need every care they deserve.

Reference: PAACO educational leaflets, Cairo

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