Eye Injuries & First-aid

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Eye injuries are the most common preventable cause of blindness. Most injuries to theeye are nothing serious, and a routine part of growing up, but some will require medical attention.

Treating routine eye irritations or injuries

  • Do not touch, press, or rub the eye itself.

  • Wash your hands thoroughly before examining a child’s eye.

  • Flush the eye by gently pouring a steady stream of lukewarm water, (but do not heat the water) from a container or pitcher across the eye.

  • Never try to remove any object except through flushing with water. Trying to remove it with anything else could damage the eye. If you cannot remove the object through flushing, then seek immediate medical help.

  • Have someone hold the child’s eyelids open, or pull back on the skin just below the eye to expose most of the eye for flushing.

  • If irritation, redness, or swelling persists, then consult a doctor.

First-aid for an embedded object:

  • Do not attempt to remove the object!!!

  • Call for emergency help immediately.

  • Cover the affected eye. If the object is small enough, us an eye patch or sterile dressing. If it is large, cover it by taping a cup around it, or by applying soft cloth around the object to keep it in place.

  • Keep your child as calm as possible until help arrives.

Where most eye injuries occur:

  1. Home: 44.7%
  2. Industrial premises: 13%
  3. Streets or highways: 9.8%
  4. Recreation venue: 9.2%
  5. Sports venue: 7.2%
  6. School: 5.4%
  7. Office: 4.0%
  8. Farm: 1.9%
  9. Other: 4.8%

(Source: The American Academy of Ophthalmology)
* Males sustain nearly 75% of all eye injuries.

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