Eye Injury and Emergency Eye Care in Imo State
Eye injuries are one of the commonest causes of blindness in one eye, and most of them are preventable. What you do in the first minutes after an injury often decides the outcome. This page covers immediate first aid and when to come straight in.
Chemical in the eye: act immediately
A chemical splash is the one eye emergency where you should treat before you travel.
Wash the eye with clean water at once, and keep washing for at least 15 to 20 minutes. Hold the lids open. Let the water run across the eye from the inner corner outwards. Do not stop early to look for help. The washing is the treatment, and every second of delay allows more damage.
Then come to hospital immediately, and bring the container of the chemical if you can. Alkalis such as caustic soda, cement, lime and some cleaning agents are especially destructive and go on burning after contact.
Types of eye injury we treat
- Blunt injury: from a fist, ball, stick or fall, which can damage structures deep inside the eye
- Penetrating injury: where something has cut or entered the eye. A surgical emergency.
- Foreign bodies: metal, wood, sand or grit on or in the eye, common in farm and workshop work
- Chemical burns
- Corneal abrasions: scratches to the surface
- Eyelid and orbital injuries: including fractures of the bones around the eye
- Thermal burns: from flames, hot oil or steam
What to do, and what not to do
Do:
- Wash out chemicals immediately and thoroughly
- Cover the eye lightly with a clean shield or cup if something has penetrated it
- Come to hospital straight away
Do not:
- Rub or press the eye
- Try to pull out anything embedded in the eye
- Apply traditional medicines, herbs, oils or breast milk
- Use leftover eye drops from a previous illness
- Wait to see whether it settles by itself
Come in immediately if
- Anything has penetrated or cut the eye
- There has been a chemical splash
- Vision has changed after an injury, however slightly
- There is bleeding inside the eye, or the pupil looks an odd shape
- There is severe pain, or you cannot open the eye
- There is persistent double vision after a blow to the face
- A child has had any injury to the eye
Preventing eye injuries
Most of the injuries we treat could have been avoided with eye protection. Wear protective glasses for grinding, welding, hammering, chiselling, farm work and handling chemicals. Keep caustic soda, kerosene, cleaning agents and pesticides where children cannot reach them. Supervise children with sticks, catapults, bottles and fireworks.
Emergency eye care
St Joseph’s Eye Hospital Mgbirichi handles ocular injuries for patients across Imo State and the South East. If an eye has been injured, come now rather than waiting to see how it looks tomorrow.
Speak to our eye care team
Book an appointment at St Joseph’s Eye Hospital Mgbirichi, or call us to discuss your symptoms. We see patients from across Imo State and the South East.