First Aid 101 - Eye Scream

Inspired by an article in Real Simple, I'd like to start a series of posts where I talk about common injuries/maladies that can happen to all of us. We've all been there. An accident happens and there's that moment of time where you freeze (bleeding finger and all) and think "Do I need to go to the hospital? What do I do?" I am going to set up these posts in three simple steps.

1. Immediately...

2. Whatever you do, dont....

3. See the professionals if....

And hopefully these are fun and helpful!

The obvious disclaimer has been said, but I will say it again for good measure. If you feel like you need to seek medical attention immediately please do so and if you are experiencing an emergency please call 911 or go to your nearest Emergency Room. I hear Baptist is very nice.

First Aid 101 #1: Eye Scream - It's all fun and games till someone gets it in the eye.

If you have eyelashes (and I'm betting you do), you've gotten something in your eye before. Here's what to do.

1. Immediately....irrigate irrigate irrigate! If it's an easily pluckable eyelash, feel free to pluck it out, but for the love of conjunctivitis, wash your hands first! With soap and water! Believe it or not, our hands (and especially our fingers and fingernails) are unbelieveably grubby, so before you snatch that eyelash out, wash your hands thoroughly.

If it's not an eyelash, but a splash of something that's not sterile saline or a mystery crumbly irritant, drop everything you are doing and irrigate. I don't care if you are checking out at Publix and you just got the new Harry Potter movie for free because it was rung up wrong and that's their policy (thanks Publix!), or if you are on a date and it took you an hour to get your make-up right! You can always put on new make-up, you can always blow your nose if water gets in it. What you can't do is unscratch your cornea. So irrigate. Take your contact out, if possible, lean your head under the nearest water source (whether that be a sink, a bottle of water - hopefully brand new and sans your backwash, or, preferrably, a bottle of sterile saline solution like what you soak your contacts in) and irrigate. See picture.

Do this for a long time. Many minutes. Especially if you've splashed a some kind of chemical in your eye. Like I said, you may get a little messy, but you must do this for the health of your eyeball.

2. Whatever you do don't... RUB YOUR EYE. I don't care if itches like crazy, you can't rub your eye. You will scratch your cornea, the outermost protective layer of your eye. Or you can shove whatever's into there into the conjuntiva where it'll be really hard to get out and it'll just sit there, driving you crazy.

Also by itching and therefore scratching (especially with grubby hands) you are just asking for an infection. Conjunctivas (pronounced con-JUNC-tiva, NOT con-junc-TIVA like so many people like to do here in the South) love to get infected and the eye drops for those are expensive so please, just irrigate and don't rub your eye.

3. See the professionals if....you splash a chemical (like Draino, bleach, etc.) in your eye, or you are working with chemicals and accidently touch your eye. Mild dish soap? You're okay. But anything that might be harsh or corrosive, start irrigating immediately while heading to the ER. You might need for it to be professionally irrigated/treated. Come into the ER immediately (and please have someone drive you as you clearly need your eyes to see where you are going) and we can help you. Also, if you have irrigated and still are experiencing unsubsided burning, swelling, or have vision changes, please come in and see us (pun intended). Also, if you have had an accident where somehow something has penetrated your eyeball LEAVE IT IN! Do not attempt to pluck it out. There is no plucking. We pluck, you don't pluck. Got it? Good. And, by the way, that goes for any kind of stab/puncture wound anywhere. Always always leave it in and have it professionally removed. You never know what artery the knife, PVC pipe, wristwatch (ahem, Harold Crick) is occluding so you don't bleed to death. Sure, there are not arteries in your eyeball big enough for you to exsanguinate, however you could end up doing more damage, so please listen to the Beatles and let it be.

Hope you enjoyed this first post! Coming up: You got burned!