Vision & Age
First Aid
If your eye is injured you should always get immediate, professional medical attention. It is the best way to safeguard your vision.
Let the professionals take a Look
If your eye is injured, it is tempting to think that you can just flush it out with some cold water and it will be fine. However, it is not easy to judge the extent or severity of any eye injury, so you should always get immediate, professional medical attention. It is the best way to safeguard your vision.
What you can do to help
Here are some steps you can take in the event of an eye injury.
Trauma to the Eye If you are hit in the eye, rest a protective shield
such as a Styrofoam cup on the bone around your eye. Make sure there is no
pressure on the eye itself.
Foreign Body If an object has entered your eye, do not try to remove it;
you may tear delicate tissue or force the object in deeper. Rest a protective
shield such as a Styrofoam cup on the bone around your eye, making sure there
is no pressure on the eye itself.
Black Eye If you are hit in the eye area, place an ice pack or cold
cloth over your eye.
Chemical Burn If your eye has sustained a chemical burn, rinse it with
fresh water for at least 15 minutes. Hold your head under the tap or use a
clean container to pour water into your eye. As you rinse, use your fingers to
hold your eye open as wide as possible and roll your eye to ensure the greatest
possible coverage.
Recognizing eye injuries
You should get immediate medical attention if you have any of the following symptoms as they may signal serious eye injury.
- Obvious pain or vision problems
- Cut or torn eyelid
- One eye that does not move as completely as the other
- One eye that protrudes more than the other
- Abnormal pupil size or shape
- Blood in the white of the eye
- Something imbedded in the eye
- Something under the eyelid that cannot be easily removed
