What should I do if my eye burns?

What to do if you have an eye burn is the first question that arises in people who have encountered this problem. Let's look at the features of first aid for eye burns, as well as the types of eye burns and methods of treating them.

An eye burn is a fairly dangerous injury. If the victim is not given timely assistance, the person may lose his sight. Which may subsequently lead to job loss and disability. In medical practice, there is such a category of eye burns:

• Thermal burn is an eye burn caused by boiling water, steam, hot oil and other substances.
• A chemical burn is a burn caused by contact with the eye of an acid or chemical capable of causing a burn.
• Radiant energy burn or electro-ophthalmia. This burn can be caused by bright light hitting the eye. Exposure of the eye to large amounts of ultraviolet or infrared rays.

There are different degrees of eye burns:

1. The conjunctiva and skin of the eyelids are swollen and red. The upper layer of the cornea is damaged.
2. The skin of the eyelids is covered with small blisters with ichor, the cornea of the eye becomes cloudy. The burn of the mucous membrane of the eye fills the affected surface with areas of whitish, dying tissue. The damage goes to the middle layer of the eye.
3. There are no blisters on the skin of the eyelids, the area of damage to the eye is filled with a dark dry scab. The corneal burn penetrates to the deep layers. The effect of "frosted glass" appears.
4. Necrosis of the conjunctiva and all eyelid tissue. The corneal burn penetrates to full depth and takes on a "porcelain" appearance. Complete destruction of the lens, vitreous body, cornea, etc. is possible.

First aid for eye burns

First of all, don't panic. If the victim is at home or at work, you need to call for help. Since it's unlikely that you'll be able to cope on your own.

You also need to call an ambulance to provide qualified medical care on the spot and hospitalize in the eye department for further treatment.

1. If the patient has received a thermal burn, you should try to open the eye and remove the substance that is causing pain and contributing to further damage.
2. If the patient has received a chemical burn, you should try to remove the substance causing the burn from the eye. Rinse the eye with water until the chemical, whether alkali or acid, is removed.
3. If the patient has received a burn from radiant energy or electrophthalmia, it is necessary to keep the eyes closed or wear sunglasses. Immediately call an ambulance or go to the emergency room.

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Eye burn treatment

The victim must be hospitalized to receive assistance and determine the extent of the burn. The doctor determines what type of eye burn this case is. This is all necessary for further treatment, as well as the selection of medications, and determining the patient's behavior technique with the injured eye.

1. In case of a first-degree burn, the patient is treated on an outpatient basis, under the supervision of a local ophthalmologist. Drops of a 0.5% solution of monomycin, a 0.25% solution of chloramphenicol, a 0.02% solution of furacilin are poured into the conjunctival sac, 1% tetracycline ointment is placed behind the eyelids 3-6 times a day for several days until complete healing.
2. In case of a 2nd, 3rd or 4th degree burn, the patient is hospitalized for complex treatment. The patient is constantly irrigated with an isotonic sodium chloride solution in the anterior part of the eye for 20 minutes every 2-3 hours. To prevent the development of infection, antibiotics are used: Kolbitsion, Poludan, Ciprolet, Vigamoks. Ointments containing antibiotics and sulfonamides are placed behind the eyelids: 1% Tetracycline ointment, Sofradex.

What to do in case of eye burns - seek medical help. Thus, in case of large damage to eye tissues, surgical intervention is unavoidable. The operation is aimed at restoring the functions of the eye and its tissues. If it is impossible to restore the lens, cornea and other parts of the eye, they can be implanted. If it is not possible to save the eye itself, doctors perform plastic correction. The incapacitated eye is removed and replaced with a prosthesis. In this case, the patient becomes disabled and has work restrictions.

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