Sight is precious. The eyes are very susceptible to injury.Prompt and appropriate action when a person's eye is injured may preserve eyesight.

If a chemical is splashed into a person's eye:
* Rinse the eye with gently running water for 15 minutes.
* Hold the person's eyelids open while you do this.
* Turn their head to the side so that the chemical does not run into the unaffected eye.
* If the person is a small child, get into a shower with them. Be prepared for a lot of struggling, but be firm. Don't take time to undress before you get into the shower.
* After the 15 minutes of rinsing, immediately call the local poison center. Follow their exact directions.

Do not try to remove small objects embedded in the eye. If a very small object such as a speck of sawdust is floating on the eye, you may try to remove it. Pull the lower lid down while the person looks up. If you see the object, try to remove it by touching it with a clean cloth or piece of gauze. If nothing is under the lower lid, pull the upper lid outwards and down over the lower lid. This may dislodge the particle, which you can then pick off with the cloth. If this doesn't work, you can try to look under the upper lid. Ask the person to look down, then place the shaft of a cotton swab or toothpick across the top of the upper lid. Pull the upper lid out and up over the toothpick. Now you will be able to see the inner surface of the upper lid. If you see the particle, pick it off with the cloth. If pain or irritation persists more than a few minutes after this procedure, or if you cannot find the particle, call your health care provider. Do not put a sharp object, such as tweezers, in the eye.

More serious eye injuries include objects embedded in the eye, fractures of bones around the eye, bleeding in the eye, fluid coming out of the eye, or the eye protruding. If any of these injuries is present:
* Cover both eyes with a soft cloth pad or wadded up gauze.
* This will decrease the movement of the injured eyeball. Do not put pressure onto the injured eye.
* Call 911 for immediate emergency help.

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