An essential part of keeping your eyes healthy is knowing what to do should they sustaining an injury. While it is important to see an eye care professional in the event of an injury is also important to apply the proper first aid to avoid permit damage. Here are some first aid tips for four common eye injuries. Be sure to follow these steps should you sustain any of these injuries
If your eye gets cut or punctured
If you sustain this type of an injury, you require immediate medical attention. However, there are steps you can take to avoid making your injury worse before going to the eye doctor or the emergency room. Firstly, it is important not to rub your eyes or try to remove anything from it. In order to avoid irritating your eye, you should place something rigid and circular over it as a protective layer, for example, you could cut out the bottom of a paper cup. Be sure not to put any pressure on your eyes you can avoid this by gently taping the protective cover over your eye. After you’ve secured your protective cover, seek emergency medical attention.
If you get objects in your eye
It is important to not rub your eye or try to remove the object by hand because you may accidentally scratch your cornea. Instead, you can try removing the object by using a damp Q-tip to flush out your eye. Or you could use eyewash or water to rinse out your eye. If none of these things are available to you, it is always possible to remove the object by making yourself cry it out. After you treated it, you may need to visit an eye care professional to be sure the object has been removed.
If you get chemicals in your eye
It is important to flush out your eye immediately should you sustain this type of injury or else you risk permit damage to your eye. Stand underneath the shower or hold your head under the faucet to flush out your eye and use both hands to hold your eye open. Flush your eye out for 15 minutes and get immediate medical care afterward.
If you sustained a blow to the eye
You should apply a cold compress or ice pack to your eye to reduce pain and swelling. Be sure to hold the compress or ice pack to your eye gently without applying any pressure. Keeping your head elevated will also reduce the swelling. If you continue to experience pain or if there is a change in your vision be sure to see an eye care professional as soon as possible.
Now that you know some first aid tips for four of the most common eye injuries be sure to utilize them in the event that you sustain any of these injuries. If you have any further questions about first aid for eye injuries, feel free to contact us. And if you need to schedule an appointment, simply visit laserforeyes.com.