There is always a risk of an eye injury accident in most activities that we engage in. It only takes an accidental chemical splash or a flying spark to injure the eye. These minor accidents can quickly escalate to an eye emergency. These events can happen when you work on home projects or play a game like paintball. It would be best to have eye protection when engaging in such activities.

 

How to Prevent Eye Emergencies

The best prevention for eye injuries is to avoid situations that predispose you to eye injuries. Some ways to prevent them are:

 

• Always follow instructions by manufacturers on products
   

• Childproofing your home
   

• When working at home and work, wear protective eyewear
   

• Be cautious around hot fluids like grease and oil
  
   

Sometimes, eye injuries will happen even after you take all the precautions. Here are some symptoms of common eye injuries.

 

Symptoms of Eye Injuries

Some eye injuries are not as impactful, while other injuries cause drastic effects on your vision enough to scare you. The best thing to do is stay calm, not rub your eyes, and decide on a way forward. Here are some of the common symptoms of eye injuries. If you get any of these symptoms, you should seek medical care immediately.

 

• Vision loss or decreased visual acuity
   

• Double vision
   

• If the eye begins to bleed
   

• Pupils of different sizes
  
   

Here are some common eye injuries and how you should respond to them.

 

Foreign Objects

Foreign objects can range from pieces of glass to grains of sand in the eye. These can be very dangerous as they can cause abrasions on the eye's surface. The effect of these abrasions can be extreme pain and sensitivity to light. Try the following procedure if you get any debris in your eye that does not exit the eye when you blink.

 

Wash your hand thoroughly with soap and water. Then look into your eye to try and locate the debris. You can do this by lifting the eyelids and looking under them. Use saline eye drops to try and flush the debris out. Then flush the eyes with clean, fresh water.

 

Chemicals

The primary danger of chemicals in the eye is that they can cause chemical burns. These can become very painful and can even result in permanent vision loss. Chemicals can be cleaning products, industrial fluids, gardening chemicals, or any other fluid that is not water.

 

If you get chemicals in your eyes, it would be best to first wash your hands with soap and water. Then, lean your head sideways and flush your eye with plenty of cool fresh water for 15 minutes. Then seek medical attention from a qualified eye doctor.

Black Eye

A black eye develops when you have had a blunt object hit your eye very hard. Your eye turns blue or purple from the impact of the blow. It can be excruciating and uncomfortable. Black eyes seem to only damage the outer part of the eye, but the result may also damage the inside of the eye. If you have such an impact from a blunt object, you should see an eye doctor immediately.

For more information on common eye emergencies or if you are experiencing one, call Wear Eyewear at our offices in Chicago or Orland Park, Illinois at (312) 626-0036 or (708) 349-9327.