INJURIES

Injuries to the eyeball, eyelid and surrounding structures are very common. Small foreign bodies in the cornea or conjunctiva (lining tissue of the eyeball and eyelid) occur very frequently, and they can most always be removed simply and painlessly. Scratches to the surface of the cornea often times will feel exactly like a foreign body in the eye. Some foreign bodies are so small that they escape detection unless the eye is examined with a special microscope that permits them to be seen. If you have something in your eye and it cannot be washed out with water, please let us know. Once again, we will see you promptly. Properly treated, secondary infections can usually be avoided.

Blunt injuries to the eye may be serious. A blow from a baseball or tennis ball, for example, or a fist injury, can cause severe inflammation as well as swelling or hemorrhage in the retina. A broken bone in the eye socket can be a further problem. These injuries should be examined by an ophthalmologist. Dilation of the pupil may be needed to determine if there is more severe internal injury.

Chemical injuries are also very common. Most household chemical agents such as soaps and cleansers do not cause serious problems although they may be very irritating. Chemicals with strong alkalis in them such as toilet bowl or oven cleaners can produce severe burns and should be evaluated by an ophthalmologist. If you get any chemical in your eye, you should immediately flush the eye with a large volume of plain water. If solid chemicals are lodged under the eyelid, they must be removed. Do NOT wait. Certain products may cause permanent damage. Other materials may cause a lot of discomfort even though they rarely produce any long-term serious problem. If you sustain a chemical injury from a product whose contents are unknown to you, try to bring the bottle with you so that we may find out what is in it and treat your eye accordingly.

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