Preventing Eye Emergencies

Friday, March 1, 2002

Preventing Eye Emergencies (NAPSA)—Beon a sharp lookout to avoid blinding eye injuries. Theeyeis one of the most delicate and exposed areas of the human body. Eye injury is the second most common cause of visual impairment, second only to glaucoma. Blunt objects, surprisingly, are the major cause of eye injury (37 percent) and over half (55 percent) of eye injury victimsare peo- ple underthe age of 25. “Emergency departments in the United States provide a large amount of eye care becauseall eye injuries are potentially serious,” said David Wilcox, MD, of the American College of Emergency Physicians. “Even superficial abrasions on the eye’s surface— the cornea—can lead to scarring or infection, with possible impairmentof vision.” If an eye injury occurs, seek immediate medical care. To help decrease your risk of eye injury or wounds, ACEPprovidesthe following tips: Signs and Symptomsof Eye Injury and Wounds A visible wound. A bloodshot eye appearance, even if a woundis notvisible. Partial or total loss of vision. Leakage of blood or clear fluid from the injured eye. Precautions to Take: DO NOT touch the eye or allow the victim to rubit. DO NOTtry to remove a contact lens or embedded object in the eye. DO NOTapply any pressure to an eye with a foreign object embeddedora laceration. IF it will take some time to obtain medical aid, gently bandage an eye with an eyeshield or tape a paper cup in place over the injured eye. IF a chemical enters the eye, ac_ Zz SS irrigate it immediately before rushing to the emergency department. Flush the eye with fresh water for 15 minutes and put nothing else in the injured eye. If possible, take the bottled chemical with you to the hospital. Action Steps Lay the victim on her back, holding her head on your knees to keepit as still as possible. Give the victim a paper cup to hold over her injured eye and ask her to keep her uninjured eye closed. Send the victim to the hospital. If you cannot take the victim to the hospital, call the emergency medical services numberor 9-1-1. “Parents, coaches and role models should set good examples for children by wearing protective eyewear when using powertools, playing sports or working in an area with flying debris,” said Dr. Wilcox. “They also should enforce the use of protective eyewear in children.” For more information of emer- gency first aid, you can order ACEP’s First Aid Manual from www.ACEPorg.

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