$Unique_ID{PAR00071}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Eye Injuries}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Eye Injuries Pain opening eyes closed shut Bleeding eyeball irises
iris position color difference pupils size Differences Collapse
Blurring vision harmful liquid liquids powder powders speck specks golf ball
balls exploding Aerosol spray cans explosive carbon dioxide cartridges explode
cartridge machine sanders paint removers grindstones particles protective
glasses splinters splinter acids alkalis gasoline}
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Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Eye Injuries


     Emergency Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Pain in the eye
     - Inability to open the eye
     - Bleeding from or in the eyeball
     - Differences in the color or position of the irises (the colored
       portions of the eyes)
     - Differences in the size or color of the pupils (the openings in the
       irises)
     - Collapse of the eyeball
     - Blurring of vision
     - Visible foreign object on the eye surface or under the eyelid
     - Harmful liquid or powder has come in contact with the eye

     HOME CARE
     If a harmful liquid or powder has entered the eye:
     - Act immediately!  Seconds count!  Hold the eye open, and flush it with
       several pints of cool water.  If possible, put the child into a cool
       shower, clothes and all, and wash out the eye.  Then immediately take
       the child to a doctor.

     If an object has penetrated the eye:
     - Do not try to remove the object.  See a doctor immediately.

     If the child cannot easily open the eye:
     - Do not try to force the eye open.
     - Do not try to treat the injury at home.  Place a soft bandage over the
       eye, and see a doctor promptly.

     If the child can easily open the eye:
     - Look for the following signs of damage:  bleeding from or in the
       eyeball; differences in the size or color of the pupils; differences in
       the color or position of the irises; any collapse of the eyeball;
       blurring of vision.  If any of these symptoms appears, do not try to
       treat at home.  Place a soft bandage over the eye, and see your doctor
       promptly.

     If the child can easily open the eye and none of the above signs appears:
     - Look for a speck on the eyeball or under the eyelid.  If the child is
       cooperative, you may try to remove a speck with gentle strokes with a
       cotton swab.  If the speck does not immediately come off, stop.  The
       object may be embedded.  See a doctor.

     PRECAUTIONS
     - Be cautious about treating eye injuries yourself.
     - Do not let young children play with golf balls.  Do not let anyone
       unwind a golf ball.  If unwound, some golf balls explode and cause eye
       injuries.
     - Aerosol spray cans and carbon dioxide cartridges explode violently in
       fires.  Be sure that your child knows this.
     - Keep children far away from areas where machine sanders, paint
       removers, and grindstones are being used.  These machines throw off
       particles that can injure the eyes.  Anyone around these machines
       should wear protective glasses.


     The eyeball is a fragile, hollow sphere with a wall that is less than
one-eighth inch thick.  Within the eyeball, there are many complex and
delicate structures.  Fortunately, the eyeball is well protected by its bony
socket and the eyelids.  Even so, the eye can be injured by small objects like
sand or metallic splinters that land on or become embedded in the surface or
that penetrate to the inside of the eye.  Sharp objects, such as fingernails,
knives, and fishhooks, can scratch the surface and penetrate the eye.  Dull
objects, such as balls and baseball bats, can jar the eye and dislodge its
internal structures.  A tiny speck may settle on the surface of the eyeball or
hide under the eyelid.  The eye may also be injured by harmful liquids or
powders (acids, alkalis, gasoline) that come in contact with the eye.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     If the child cannot easily open the eye, do not try to force it open to
look in the eye.  See your doctor promptly.
     If the child can easily open the eye, you can examine it for signs of
damage.  Look carefully for all of the following signs of injury:  Is there
any free blood coming from the eyeball?  (Do not be misled by blood from a cut
near the eye that may have run into the eye.)  Are there any differences in
the size or color of the pupils?  Are there any differences in the color or
position of the irises?  Is there any sign of collapse of the eyeball?  Is
there any puddling of red blood in front of the iris?  Is there any blurring
of vision?  If none of these symptoms is present, you may safely look for
foreign objects on the surface of the eyeball or lodged under the eyelid.

HOME CARE

     Do not attempt to treat an eye injury at home if the child cannot easily
open the eye.  Place a soft bandage over the eye, and see your doctor
promptly.
     Do not attempt to treat at home if the child has any of the following
symptoms:  bleeding from or in the eyeball; differences in the size or color
of the pupils; differences in the color or position of the irises; any
collapse of the eyeball; blurring of vision.  If any of these symptoms
appears, place a soft bandage over the eye, and see your doctor as soon as
possible.
     Do not attempt to remove a fishhook or any other object that has
penetrated the eye.  See a doctor immediately.
     If a harmful liquid or powder (such as an acid, alkali, or gasoline) has
entered the eye, immediate action is essential.  Seconds count!  Hold the eye
open, and flush it with several pints of cool water.  If possible, put the
child into a cool shower, clothes and all, and wash out the eye.  Then
immediately take the child to your doctor for further care.
     If none of the above signs is present and you see a speck on the eyeball
or under the lid (and the child is cooperative), you may try to remove the
speck with gentle strokes of a cotton swab.  If the speck does not immediately
come off, stop.  The object may be embedded.  See a doctor.

PRECAUTIONS

  -  Be cautious about treating eye injuries yourself.
  -  Some golf balls explode if they are unwound and can cause eye injuries.
     Do not let young children play with golf balls, and do not allow anyone
     to unwind them.
  -  Aerosol spray cans and carbon dioxide cartridges explode violently in
     fires or in extreme heat.  Be sure that your child knows this.
  -  Machine sanders, paint removers, and grindstones throw off particles that
     can injure the eyes.  Everyone should wear protective glasses around
     these machines.  Keep children far away from such machines.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     A doctor can easily anesthetize the eye and examine it internally and
externally without pain or damage.  The doctor may stain the eyeball with
drops to make small injuries and foreign objects readily visible.  Areas
inside and outside the eye can be examined with a special microscope.

RELATED TOPICS:  Eye allergies; Vision problems