
Irrigating the eye right away for at least 30 minutes may reduce the severity of a chemical eye burn and help prevent vision loss. Chemical eye burn treatmentĬhemical eye burn treatment starts with flushing the eye out with water, saline or eye wash immediately. That’s one reason it’s important to seek medical attention right away if you get a chemical in your eye. For example, some alkali substances may cause significant eye damage without causing severe pain, redness or other symptoms. Symptoms don’t always match the severity of a chemical eye burn. In some cases, a chemical in powder form may blow or waft into the eye. Chemical eye burn symptomsĪ chemical eye burn can happen when a chemical makes contact with the eye by splashing up or getting rubbed into the eye when there is chemical residue on the fingers. Keep a commercial eye wash at home for these situations. It’s also a good idea to make a plan for what to do if a chemical gets in your eye at home. Avoid mixing chemicals that should not be combined, and work in well-ventilated spaces. Fumes can cause damage to the mucous membranes of the eyes. It’s not just physical contact that can harm the eyes. When possible, swap out more dangerous chemicals like ammonia for milder cleaners.
CHEMICAL BURN TREATMENT HOW TO
Learn how to use the chemical properly and what to do if it gets in your eyes. That’s especially important in scenarios where you might get splashed, such as when cleaning a toilet or unclogging a drain. It’s a good idea to wear safety glasses or a face shield while working with chemicals. Protect your eyes from household chemicals. Never spray sunscreen directly on your face.

Read labels on personal care products like sunscreen, and heed warnings to keep products away from the eyes. Keep personal care products away from your eyes. Some tips for preventing these types of eye burns include: There are several steps you can take to prevent chemical eye burns at home. Household chemicals that can cause blindness include: ammonia, hydrofluoric acid and lye. Some of the most dangerous chemicals that can get in the eye are alkali substances, such as drain cleaners, oven cleaners and cement. There are many chemicals that can cause blindness if the burn is severe. *Although it is an acid, hydrofluoric acid can penetrate eye tissues quickly much like an alkali substance, so it tends to cause more severe eye burns. Some household cleaners (glass cleaners, bathroom cleaners. If you get a chemical in your eye, you should continuously flush the eye with water or eye wash and seek emergency medical treatment right away. The following are some common household items that can cause chemical eye burns. Other chemicals such as drain cleaner may cause severe eye burns that put you at risk for permanent vision loss even with only brief contact. Substances such as non-toxic soap or sunscreen may cause eye irritation without any lasting eye damage.

Causes of chemical eye burnsĮveryday household products such as laundry detergent or hydrogen peroxide can cause a chemical eye burn if they accidentally splash or get rubbed into your eye. It is important to provide the medical team with as much detail as possible about the exact type of chemical that caused the eye injury. You should flush the eye out right away and seek immediate medical attention with both types of chemical eye burns. This can cause serious damage that can lead to vision loss or blindness. And alkali eye burn is extremely dangerous because it can liquefy eye tissue, allowing the chemical to penetrate deep into the cornea.

Getting an alkali chemical, such as oven or drain cleaner, in the eye can lead to an alkali eye burn. An acid eye burn is serious, but it typically leads to the formation of hard damaged tissue that may prevent the acid from penetrating more deeply into the eye. Getting an acid such as battery acid or hydrochloric acid in the eye can lead to an acid eye burn. Severe eye burns of both types can cause vision loss, but alkali burns tend to cause more serious eye damage more quickly. There are two main types of chemical eye burns: acid and alkali. It’s important to get immediate treatment for a chemical eye burn to prevent vision loss. A chemical burn in the eye occurs when a chemical in liquid, powder or vapor form injures the eye or eyelid. An eye burn (ocular burn) can be caused by heat or, more commonly, by getting a chemical in the eye.
