First Aid For
Eye Injuries

First Aid for eye injuries immediately following an accident can prevent loss of sight.

Here we've put together a quick reference guide to dealing with the most common eye injuries.

This page is available as a PDF download.

You will need Adobe Reader to view this file. You can get it free here.

Irritants in the Eye

• Do not rub your eye.
• Lift the upper lid over the lower and allow the lower lashes to brush the grit off the inside of the upper lid.
• Blink a few times and let the eye move the particle out.
• If the speck remains, keep your eye closed and seek medical help.

For Chemical Irritants or Burns

• Flood the eye with water immediately, using your fingers to keep the eye open wide.
• Hold your head under a shower or faucet, or gently pour water into the eye from a container for a minimum of fifteen minutes.
• Roll the eyeball as much as possible to wash out the eye.
• Do not bandage the eye or use an eye cup.
• Seek medical help immediately.

For Pollen Irritants

• Use antihistamine eye drops to help control itching.
• You can also use an individual eye wash to flush out the eye and help with irritation.

Acids in the Eye (Alkali and Acid)

• Sulfuric acid. Found in car batteries
• Lye. Found in drain cleaners
• Ammonia
• Bleach
• Toilet bowl cleaners
• Brick and concrete cleaners
• Dishwashing detergents
• Garden insecticides

First Aid

• Flood the eye with water immediately, using your fingers to keep the eye open wide.
• Hold your head under a shower or faucet, or gently pour water into the eye from a container for a minimum of fifteen minutes.
• Roll the eyeball as much as possible to wash out the eye.
• Do not bandage the eye or use an eye cup.
• Seek medical help immediately.

Objects in Eye

• DO NOT pull the object out.
• Carefully cover the eye with gauze.
• If the object is large cover with a paper cup and tape it in place.
• Bandage both eyes even if only one eye is injured this will reduce eye movement.
• Seek immediate medical help.

Blows to the Eye

• Immediately apply an ice compress to the eye to reduce pain and swelling.
• A black eye or blurred vision can be a sign of damage inside the eye.
• If the eyeball is injured seek medical help immediately.

Cuts to the Eye

• Gently cover eye with sterile gauze.
• Applying a cold compress can reduce pain, swelling and bleeding.
• DO NOT apply pressure to stop the bleeding.
• If blood begins to pool in the eye cover both eyes to reduce eye movement and seek medical help immediately.

Corneal Flash Burn

Symptoms

• Bloodshot eyes
• Pain that can be mild to very severe
• Light sensitivity
• Excessive tearing or blurry vision
• Sensation of a foreign body in the eye

Treatment

• Apply over the counter artificial tears or lubricants to ease eye pain and scratchiness.
• Wear sunglasses if light hurts your eyes.
• Rest with eyes closed if at all possible.
• Most corneal flash burns will heal on their own.
• See your doctor if you have changes in your vision, have blurry vision, see flashing spots or lights, have worsening eye pain or pain with the movement of your eyes.

Return to First Aid For from First Aid For Eye Injuries.