Answer: Irrigation, irrigation, irrigation. The quicker you can irrigate the offending agent, the better the visual prognosis.
With any chemical injury, you need to irrigate the eyes with saline copiously, as soon as possible. Have the patient irrigate at home, in route in the ambulance, and in the emergency before you even get to see them. In fact, a chemical injury is one of the few eye emergencies where you instruct the patient to begin treatment (irrigation) before you see them.
Findings on exam may be a hazy cornea, and inflammed conjunctiva. A white, bleached conjunctiva/sclera is a bad sign as it means that the chemical has cooked the conjunctival vessels. The eyelids need to be everted (even “double everted”) and swept of debris that may be harboring more chemical.
Comments and Feedback
2 Comments
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yaaa,
u have to irrigate the conjunctiva,fornix,canthi & cornea but don’t be a prresure.
Comment by optom. Anup d vyas — October 11, 2010 @ 3:56 am
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useful info
Comment by RAMDASS — July 25, 2012 @ 10:02 pm
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