What should we do if a foreign object or chemical gets into our eyes? Prof. Dr. Kazım Devranoğlu sums it up like this: “Pull your face up. While rinsing your eyes with plenty of water, lift your eyelids with your hand and rinse them with water. Never wipe with a cloth. Never put pressure on the eyes or their eyelids. After that, go to the doctor as soon as possible”.
The only organ in our body that cannot renew itself is the eyes. But how to protect an organ that has such a vital function as a vision in dangerous situations? How should we proceed when a foreign object or chemical liquid is ingested? The first few minutes before a visit to the doctor are extremely important for the health of our eyes. Therefore, with the wrong intervention, there is a risk that can lead to permanent blindness. Prof. Dr. Kazım Devranoğlu from the Dunyagöz Hospital Group spoke about the importance of providing first aid to the eyes in emergencies: “Proper first aid for serious eye injuries prevents blindness. Improper first aid leads to blindness. The 2-3 minutes that pass after an incident are very important.”
WHEN A CHEMICAL SUBSTANCE GETS IN THE EYE...
If a strong chemical substance (eg. battery acid, nitric acid, laboratory or industrial solvents, poisons, lime powder) enters the transparent part of the eye (cornea), the normal transparency of the cornea is quickly disrupted. Sensitive corneal cells burn out within minutes or even seconds if the substance is too strong. In this case, immediate first aid is much more important than any further treatment. You must rinse your eyes immediately to remove the chemical. Rinse eyes immediately. If you don't, permanent blindness will develop within minutes. Rinse eyes with plain water. Don't look for an antidote. Turn the patient's face up and pour water into his eyes. Naturally, the patient will not like this, and because of the pain caused by the burn and irritation from cold water, he will close his eyes. You need to open your eyelids while holding them. Do not apply pressure to the eyes or eyelids. Apply pressure to the eyebrows or cheek. Explain to the patient the importance of rinsing. It is not necessary to drown the patient by pouring buckets of water over him, it is enough to rinse with a weak stream. In case of contact with a strong alkali, rinse the eyes for at least 15 minutes. For minor burns, you don't need to rinse your eyes for that long. However, a few minutes is not enough to wash the harmful substance out of the eyes. Let's say you can’t find water. You can also use any other non-irritating liquid. If you can drink it without irritation, you can also rinse your eyes with this liquid in an emergency. Milk, soft drinks, orange juice, chocolate milk, anything like that will do.
DO NOT WIPE A BLEEDING EYE WITH A CLOTH
The most terrible thing happens when a piece of glass, a sharp wire, a spike, or a flying piece of metal gets into the eye. Even if the inlet is very small, it can carry germs into the eye and cause abscess formation and blindness. A larger wound causes the thin, semi-fluid structures of the eye to come out. With pressure on such an eye, the contents of the eye come out more easily, which leads to disastrous consequences. Of course, if such an incision is made in the eye, bleeding will occur or fluid will come out of the incision. What happens if blood or fluid leaks from the victim's cheek? Naturally, a person will run to wipe the blood with a towel or cloth. If at the same time he presses on the eye, this will cause discharge from the eye. Please, do not do that. Do not rub or apply pressure near the cut eye. Do not let the patient wipe their eyes. If possible, the eye should be capped. The lid can be made by cutting half a paper cup, cutting off the edges, and then opening it to the sides. All Scouts know that applying pressure to a bleeding wound will stop the bleeding. This is true, but not to the eye. Such pressure would destroy the eye, which is already so badly damaged that it bleeds. Let it bleed! After some time, the bleeding will stop and this will not lead to the death of the patient. Of course, all penetrating wounds require immediate attention. These are serious emergencies.
DO NOT RUB THE EYE WHEN DUST GETS INTO IT!
Everyone has had a fly or a speck of dust in their eye at some time or another. The most important thing is not to rub your eyes when something gets into it. Because it can cause the foreign body to scratch the cornea. The first aid provider should not touch dust particles lodged in the cornea. All you need to do is fold a sheet of paper and cloth and wipe the foreign object with the tip. It won't cause much pain. Sometimes the particle is in the upper half of the eye. Such particles are more difficult to remove. Ask the patient to look down while lifting the upper eyelid. Sometimes a foreign body is located on the middle surface of the eyelid. To get it, the eyelid must be turned out. If your eye still stings and you can't see what's causing the stinging, you should see a doctor. If a foreign object got into the eye when the patient hit metal on metal, a small piece of steel could get into the eye. Such an injury may not be visible on the surface. Sometimes there is almost no pain. Be careful with this type of injury. Do not perform this work without protective goggles.
