If someone suffers an injury or experiences a medical problem, it is often how swiftly they are diagnosed and given emergency treatment that can make all the difference to their recovery and long-term prognosis.
Here is a look at some potential eye injury situations and what to do in an emergency scenario. There is an overview of the sort of hazards to your vision that you can encounter in the workplace or anywhere for that matter, plus some tips on the right thing to do straight away and a look at what actions should be avoided.
Preventing injury in the first place
It is always going to better to be proactive rather than reactive when it comes to eye injuries and that means understanding the risk you are facing and taking steps to protect your eyes from potential hazards.
Eye injuries in the workplace are far too common, but with the right sort of protective eyewear, it is possible to significantly reduce the prospect of being injured.Depending on the type of environment you are working in, you could be exposed to dust and debris, chemical splashes and even exposure to blood splashes which could cause contamination.Cuts or scrapes in the cornea are one of the most reported eye injuries but flying debris and burns are also frequent accidents that could cause serious damage to your eyes.
Identifying an eye injury
You might want to check here for details on the range of protective eyewear available, but in the event of an emergency situation where damage has occurred, it is important that you identify the initial warning signs.
It might be obvious that the person has received an injury to their eye of course, but the extent of the injury itself is something you need to recognize so that you can consider what emergency medical help you might be able to offer.
If the person is complaining of having trouble seeing or is in pain, or if they have an obvious cut or tear, these are the most distinguishable eye injuries you are likely to encounter. The injured person might have blood in the clear part of their eye or complaining of having something in their eye or under the eyelid that that can’t be removed at this point.
Taking the right action
Having initially established the extent of their eye injury there are a couple of basic ground rules that apply to virtually all types of eye injury.Do not attempt to touch or apply any pressure to the injured eye and make no attempt to remove any object that is stuck in their eye.
If the person has suffered a cut to their eye or it has been punctured, you could try to place a shield over the affected eye as a temporary measure until they can be attended to by a medical professional.Classic errors that are seen as kind gestures in trying to make someone more comfortable, include rinsing the eye with water or giving them an aspirin or some sort of anti-inflammatory drug.
Do not try to rinse their eye with water if it has been cut or punctured and as a general rule, there are rarely any circumstances where rubbing the eye or applying some sort of pressure is going to help.Acting quickly can definitely make a difference, just make sure you something that is likely to help rather than hinder their recovery prospects.
Matthew Goodwin works as a safety officer in the industrial field. At home, he’s Dad of 2 boys and has safety on the mind whether he’s at home or work!
