Treating a chemical burn to the eye is not that difficult, provided you know what to look for. In order to to do it, you should have a little general information first. The front section of the human eye, which generally sustains the most common types of injuries, consists of the iris, cornea, socket, eyelid and lashes. In the back of the eye are the sclera, optic nerve and orbital muscles. Chemical burns to any region of the eye should be taken very seriously. Here are some steps to help.
Instructions
Treat a Chemical Burn to the Eye
1. Wash the eye. Use a lot of cold tap water. Clean the affected area for about 10 minutes. The point is to dilute the chemical as quickly as you can. If a serious chemical burn occurs, you should continue until medical help arrives.
2. Find out what happened. The type of eye injury sustained will depend on what kind of chemical has come into contact with the eye. Talking to an injured person will help determine what portion of the eye has been burned. Alkali, acid and irritants are three types of common chemical burns. Look for symptoms such as redness, blurring or loss of vision.
3. Identify the substance. Look for the chemical spray bottle, jar or barrel, if possible. A product label may tell you treat the specific injury. Chemicals with high pH (ammonia, for example) will typically cause the most severe damage. Those with low pH, like acids, can cause damage, but they may not penetrate the eye as much as an alkali. Although irritants may not cause a lot of damage, they can be very painful.
4. Seek medical attention. Go to a doctor no matter how minor you believe your eye injury to be. Far too many long-term injuries have resulted simply because people thought everything was “OK.” Vision loss can occur after a to the eye.
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