What to do When You Suffer From an Ocular Trauma

Submitted by Elman Retina Group on March 30, 2016

Protective eyewear can keep most foreign objects from your eyes during obvious dangerous situations, but you can’t protect from every possible case of ocular trauma. Everyone gets something in their eye sometime during their life, whether it’s an eyelash or piece of sand or something much more serious. Your response to the problem can determine whether the results of the trauma are temporary, long-lasting, or even permanent.

Quick Reactions Can Save Your Eyes From Serious Damage

Foreign Objects This is the most common type of ocular trauma, and is often the least dangerous. For smaller items in the eye such as dirt, bits of leaves, or eyelashes, wash your eye with clean water or saline solution to rinse the object off your eyeball. Flush the eye while blinking to move the object to the corner of the eye and outward. For more serious foreign objects in the eye such as splinters or bits of metal, avoid touching the eye to prevent further damage. Cover the eye loosely with a scarf or similar object and get to the eye doctor immediately.

Chemical Burns Chemicals can be splashed, sprayed, blown on wind, or rubbed into eyes on fingers. Acid and alkali chemicals react differently in your eye, but the treatment is much the same. Hold your head under a faucet and allow cool water to run over your eye for 15 minutes. Have someone call a poison hotline while your eye is rinsing. In most cases, you’ll need to go to the emergency room after rinsing your eye.

Physical Damage A blow to the eye, like that from a baseball or bat, can cause damage to the iris. Immediate treatment with an eye specialist is needed to prevent permanent damage to the eye. Minor hits on the eye can look even more serious, causing the entire eye to look like it’s filled with blood, but they usually heal themselves within a week or two. See an eye doctor to make sure.

For any type of eye trauma, it’s best to call an expert to make sure your eyesight is safe. Contact Elman Retina Group at 410-220-2289 and we’ll be happy to help you.