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Eye Injury

You can treat many minor eye irritations by flushing the eye, but more serious injuries require medical attention. Injuries to the eye are the most common preventable cause of blindness , so when in doubt, err on the side of caution and call your child's doctor for help.

Eye is a very delicate tissue. It is the most vital square inch of the body.

Injuries to the eye include:

• Contusions and fractures of bones that form the eye socket or orbit.
• Contusions and lacerations of the eyelids.
• Abrasion of the cornea (the transparent covering of the pupil of the eye) or other injury to the eyeball.
• Chemical like acid/alkali burns

BODY PARTS INVOLVED

• Bones that form the orbit.
• Eyelids.
• Eyeball: cornea, conjunctiva (white of the eye), iris (colored part of the eye) and aqueous humor (fluid in the eyeball).
• Muscles, tendons, periosteum (covering to bone), nerves, blood vessels, skin and connective tissue in the vicinity of the eye.

Causes

• Direct blow in the vicinity of the eye.
• Irritation from many different materials, such as pesticides on grass, lime used for lines, or gravel or dust.
• Foreign body imbedded in the eye, such as a small piece of gravel, sand or glass.
• Being exposed to high temperatures, molten metal or hot sparks poses a potential burn hazard to your eyes.
• Scratching of the cornea, either by a fingernail or a rough foreign body.
• A dusty job task, such as sanding woodwork or buffing a floor, causes dust and grit to fly into your eye, resulting in irritation or scratches. Dust and grit may be especially hazardous to people who wear contact lenses.

Signs & Symptoms

Injury to the orbit:

• Pain.
• Swollen lids.
• Protruding eyeball if bleeding occurs in back of the eye.
• Numbness around the eye.
• Inability to move the eye normally.
• Decreased vision.

Injury to the lids:

• Pain.
• A cut, laceration or contusion with swelling,redness, tenderness, pain, bleeding or bruising ("black eye") in or around the eye.
• Change in ability to see clearly.

Injury to the eyeball:

• Eye pain.
• Sensitivity to bright light.
• Eyelid spasm.
• Tearing.
• Blurred vision.
• Redness in the white of the eye.
• Irregular size of pupils.

Treatment

Follow your doctor's instructions. These instructions are supplemental.

After emergency treatment:

• Protect eyes from bright light or sunlight by wearing dark glasses.
• Use ice packs or warm moist compresses to relieve discomfort. Prepare a compress by folding a clean cloth in several layers. Dip in warm water, wring out slightly, and apply to the eye. Dip the compress often to keep it moist. Apply the compress for an hour, rest an hour and repeat.
• Sleep with the head elevated with 2 pillows until symptoms subside.
• Don't rub the eye.

For lacerations after suturing:

• Keep the wound dry and covered for 48 hours.
• If you change the bandage, apply a small amount of petroleum jelly or non-prescription antibiotic ointment to the bandage.
• After 48 hours, replace the bandage if it gets wet.
• Ignore small amounts of bleeding. Control heavier bleeding by firmly pressing a facial tissue or clean cloth to the bleeding spot, avoiding pressure on the eyeball itself

Home Diet

Eat a well-balanced diet that includes extra protein, such as meat, fish, poultry, cheese, milk and eggs.

Prevention

• Wear a face mask for contact sports.
• Wear protective glasses for racket sports.
• Apply ice or cold compress for a black eye. This decreases the bleeding and swelling.
• Avoid areas that contain substances to which you are allergic, if possible.
• Safety goggles fit snugly around your eyes and offer an extra level of protection beyond safety glasses. Safety goggles are available in several different styles - some are made of firm plastic, and others are made of flexible rubber. If you have a vision problem, you can wear your eyeglasses underneath some types of safety goggles. Other specially made safety goggles may have corrective lenses mounted behind the protective lenses.
• Wash eyes with lots of water, if any foreign body or chemical enters.