1 Examine eye
2Flush out object
3Lift off object
4 Inspect upper eyelid
5Seek medical help
36 FIRST AID
Foreign object in the eye
Eyelashes, bits of dust, and dislodged contact lenses are common eye irritants. They usually float on the white of the eye, and can be easily removed. Anything that rests on the coloured part of the eye or is stuck on or embedded in the eye’ s surface, however, will demand hospital attention. Your aims are to prevent injury to the eye and seek hospital care, if necessary.
SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
• Eye pain or discomfort
• Blurred vision
• Red or watering eye
TREATING A FOREIGN OBJECT IN THE EYE
1 Examine eye
• Sit the victim down so that she is facing the light.
• Using two fingers, gently separate the upper and lower eyelids so that you can examine the eye.
2Flush out object
• If you can see something floating on the white of the eye or trapped under the lower lid, try to flush it out with clean water.
• Tilt the head so that the injured eye is lower than the other one.
• Pour water carefully into the corner of the injured eye, allowing the liquid to drain away.
• Alternatively, tell the victim to immerse her face in a sinkful of water and try blinking.
3Lift off object
• If flushing does not work, use the corner of a clean, dampened handkerchief or tissue to lift the foreign object off the eye.
• Do not use any pressure.
4 Inspect upper eyelid
• Look under the upper eyelid to see if a foreign object has lodged there. To remove it, ask the victim to grasp the upper lashes and pull the eyelid over the lower one.
• If this fails to help, bathe the eye in water and ask the victim to blink.
5Seek medical help
• If all your efforts to remove the foreign object are unsuccessful, take the victim to the hospital.
! Important
• If anything is stuck to the eye, penetrating the eyeball, or resting on the colored part of the
eye, treat as for an eye wound( p. 35).
• Do not touch the affected eye or allow the victim to touch it.