The human eye is a unique organ, thanks to which we see everything that is around us. But when various negative factors affect the eye, for example, extremely high or low temperatures, hot sparks, and chemicals, we can not only lose visual acuity, but even lose such a divine gift as the ability to see. Today we will learn how to help a person who has received an eye burn due to various factors. After all, correctly provided first aid will not only alleviate the patient’s condition, but also keep him a clear look.
What is an eye burn?
This is an injury to the anterior part of the organ of vision, resulting from excessive chemical, temperature or radiation exposure. Most often you can find a thermal burn of the eye by burning particles, welding or chemical elements. With such an injury, the conjunctiva and the skin of the eyelids suffer first, then the cornea, the lacrimal ducts and the deeper structures of the organ of vision, right up to its posterior departments.
Degree of defeat
Eye burn can be divided into 4 categories:
- The first stage is damage to only the surface of the eye.
- The second degree - there is a slight dimming and redness of the cornea of the eye.
- Third stage - there is a very strong clouding of the cornea. The eye is covered with a dense film.
- The fourth degree is injury to both the cornea and retina.
Retinal Burn: Causes
- Exposure to bright light after prolonged exposure to the dark.
- The effect of ultraviolet radiation. Although this does not threaten a person with loss of vision, there are times when sunlight that reflects from the snow sharply falls into the eyes of a person and can harm him (the so-called snow blindness, often found in the north of Russia, for example, in the city of Vorkuta). In addition, a retinal burn can occur due to the fact that the person will observe a solar eclipse without glasses.
- Exposure to light from a searchlight and laser beams.
Corneal burn: causes
- Work with chemicals such as acid, cosmetics, perfumes, medicines, paints, etc.
- Thermal damage to the organ of vision - a burn of the cornea of the eye, obtained by exposure to hot liquid, such as boiling water, steam, hot oil.
- Work with the welding machine.
- Combined burn of the cornea of the eye - damage when using combustible objects or mixtures.
Symptoms of lesion
The following indicators can be considered signs of injury:
- frequent headaches;
- burning in the eyes;
- redness of the white membrane of the organ of vision;
- swelling of the eyelids;
- hostility to the penetration of light;
- tearing;
- visual impairment;
- sensation of something outsider in the eye.
First aid for getting an eye burn by welding
- The victim should be offered analgesics “Analgin”, “Diclofenac”, as well as antihistamines “Suprastin”, “Tavegil”.
- A person should be taken to a darkened room, where sunlight will not fall. If there is no way to identify him in such a room, then at least you need to put dark glasses on his eyes.
- Call an ambulance.
Treatment of eye burns resulting from work with the welding machine
- Upon arrival, the doctor first helps the patient who received a burn of the eyes by welding, thus: dilutes several crystals of potassium permanganate in boiled water , then he necessarily rinses his eyes with this solution and takes the patient to the hospital.
- Already in the medical institution, the doctor removes the foreign body by injecting a drug with soluble calcium.
- After the eye is cleaned, an antiseptic ointment is applied under the eyelids. Then the patient is determined in a hospital (if necessary), where the doctor prescribes him further treatment. Or a specialist can let the patient go home, but on condition that he will come to the clinic to check the injured eye.
Prohibited Tricks
If a person received an eye burn by welding, the following methods of the so-called “treatment” will not lead to anything good:
- Rubbing. Of course, the patient at this moment feels as if he had been poured sand under his eyelids. However, this feeling is caused by the inflammatory process, and not by the presence of any particles in the eyes. Therefore, friction can only complicate the situation.
- Eye wash with tap water. The fact is that in this case, you can easily bring the infection, and such a purification will not give the proper effect. Only boiled water can be used for such manipulations.
- Grandma's advice: instillation of honey, aloe juice, tea leaves in the eyes. These methods can not be categorically applied, since the effect of them can be directly opposite.
Chemical eye burn: what is it?
This is the entry into the organ of vision of ammonia, acids, alkalis and other chemical components in the workplace or at home. A chemical burn of the eye is the most dangerous, since it is precisely this that leads to the fact that a person can simply remain blind. The severity of such damage is determined by temperature, chemical composition, concentration, as well as the amount of substance that provoked the appearance of such a dangerous situation. With this burn, the patient may experience the following symptoms:
- lacrimation
- cutting pain in the eyes;
- fear of light;
- loss of vision (in severe cases).
In addition to damage to the organ of vision, the skin around it also suffers. It is very important to provide a person with first aid in a timely manner. And how to do it right, read below.
First aid for chemical eye burn
- First of all, it is necessary to eliminate the irritating substance from the conjunctival sac. This should be done by abundant washing. For this, saline should be used. If it is not found at the scene, then in extreme cases ordinary clean water in large quantities will do.
- After this, it is recommended that a sterile dressing be applied to the affected area.
- Urgently call an ambulance.
Chemical burn treatment
After the victim is brought to a medical facility, doctors begin to carry out such manipulations:
- Eye rinse with healing fluid.
- If the burn is alkaline, then the ophthalmologist prescribes ascorbic or citric acid to the patient. For mild to moderate lesions, vitamin C is prescribed in 2 g for 1 month. In severe burns - a 10% solution in an artificial tear is instilled 14 times a day immediately after an injury for 2 weeks.
- In case of damage to the organ of vision II and III degree, 25-100 thousand units of penicillin diluted in novocaine solution are injected daily under the conjunctiva of the eyeball.
- Glucose injections in combination with subcutaneous administration of 8-10 units of insulin have a good effect.
- To prevent secondary infection, a specialist can prescribe sulfonamide drugs inside and antibiotics intramuscularly.
- If the chemical burn of the eye is severe, then plastic surgery is indicated. During the healing period, topically apply cortisone, a fibrin film from donated blood.
What is a thermal damage to the organ of vision?
This is damage to the tissue cornea and eyeball as a result of interaction with agents such as fire, hot steam, heated liquids or molten substances. Thermal eye burns are often found both in production and in everyday life. It often goes in combination with the same damage to the face, legs, arms and the whole body.
First aid for thermal damage
How to help a person at first?
- The person who volunteered to support the victim needs to wrap her fingers with a sterile bandage and open the patient's eyelids as much as possible.
- Then it is necessary to cool the organ of vision of the affected person under water for 20 minutes. The temperature of the liquid should be no more than 12-18 degrees. For cooling, use any suitable containers that can create a stream of water. For example, it can be a syringe without a needle, a rubber bottle or a plastic bottle. Another way to cool your eyes is to lower your face in a suitable container with cool water and blink periodically.
- An antiseptic “Levomycetin” or “Albucid” should be instilled into the affected organ. After that, cover the eye with a sterile cloth and give the victim a tablet of any analgesic.
- Be sure to call an ambulance.
Treatment for thermal eye burn
Therapy for this lesion is quite specific and complex, therefore, it should be handled by specialized specialists in the ophthalmology department of the hospital. Before treating a thermal burn of the eye, the doctor must evaluate the area of tissue damage and the severity of the damage.
As a rule, with this nature of the injuries, anti-inflammatory and restorative therapy is prescribed, which helps to restore the affected tissues. Surgical intervention is indicated if it is necessary to eliminate the dead layers of the organ of vision and in case of its restoration.
An eye burn, the treatment of which must be carried out promptly, is damage that occurs when certain factors are exposed to the body (chemicals, high or low temperature, radiation exposure). It is very important at the time of the defeat of the organ to properly provide the person with first aid, so that, firstly, not to harm him even more, and secondly, to help cope with the pain before the ambulance arrives.