Overview
It can be at home, work or at the sporting grounds. The common eye injuries are:
Blows to your eye – accidents such as being hit in the eye by an elbow, fist or even a ball.
Scratches – You can get scratched by branches of a tree or by your fingernail.
Foreign bodies– these are small substances that can get into your eyes such as grit, metal or wood.
Penetrating injuries – It is the injury that leads to oozing of blood such as from glass or nails when hammering.
Chemical burns – Chemical substances gets in touch with your eye such as cleaning agents.
Exposure to radiation – The ultraviolet rays from the sunlight.
Injuries on the front of the eye or even minor injuries do not require any medical attention and should be over within 24 hours. If there is too much discomfort in the eye, you should try painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen. You should not rub your eye, avoid contact lenses and apply any pressure until fully healed. If it is not better within 24 hours, you should speak to your GP.
Flushing your eye
If your eye gets into contact with grit or chemicals, flush it or wash it from time to time with plenty of clean water for about 10 minutes. If you have contact lenses, remember to remove them before your flush. If you have eye injuries, you can flush it in different ways. For example:
- Sit and slant your head where your affected eye is on the lower side. You can do it in a sink or over a bath and use a glass and pour the water repeatedly across the eye from the nose.
- If both eyes are affected, tilt the head back and keep it level. Pour the water repeatedly across both eyes.
- If you can access a shower, use warm water on the forehead and let the water flow into your eyes while holding the affected one.
- If you are on the farm, you can use a hose pipe and aim it in the affected eye. Ensure that it is a slow flow.
If your eye gets into contact with water, flush it and then visit the doctor immediately to get a check up because there can be remaining chemicals in the eye. You should seek the doctor if you have:
Severe Pain in the Eye
The following is what you might experience:
- Decreased vision
- Flashing spots around the eye
- Visible blood in the eye
- Irregular pupil
- Pain when bright light if exposed
- A deep cut on the eye
- Eye sticking out of your socket