How to handle an eye emergency
If an eye injury occurs, see an ophthalmologist immediately or go to an urgent care center or hospital emergency room. The full extent of the damage is not always apparent. Even what appears to be a minor injury may cause permanent eye damage if it's not treated.
 |
| Exercise To Improve Eyesight |
If you sustain a blunt injury or cut to your eye:
- Cover the eye with some type of shield. For example, tape the bottom of a plastic or foam cup against your eye socket.
- Don't put any ointment or medication in the eye. Don't try to rinse the eye.
- Don't rub the eye. This could tear the tissue, causing more damage.
- Avoid taking aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). They thin the blood and may increase bleeding.
- Rinse the eye with water to dilute and remove any chemical residue. Try to pull your eyelids open as wide as possible. Flood the eye with a steady stream of water for at least 15 minutes. Tilt your head toward the injured side so that the chemical does not wash into the uninjured eye.
- After rinsing the eye, cover it with a soft pad. Take the chemical container to the emergency room with you, or write the chemical name on a slip of paper and take that.
- Don't try to remove anything that's on the cornea or that seems to be stuck or embedded in the white (sclera) of the eye. Don't rub the eye, Cover both eyes with a soft pad.
- If the foreign object is floating on the white of the eye or inside the eyelid, try to remove it with the comer of a clean cloth, a tissue or a cotton swab.
Protect yourself by using the right eyewear when playing sports, and if you have children, require them to wear proper eyewear too.
Baseball: a helmet with a polycarbonate face mask when catching; goggles or glasses with polycarbonate lenses on the field
Basketball: goggles with polycarbonate lenses
Football: a helmet with a polycarbonate eye shield and a wire face mask
Ice hockey: a helmet with full face protection approved by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council (HECC) or the Canadian Standards Association (CSA)
Racket sports: goggles with polycarbonate lenses
Soccer: goggles with polycarbonate lenses
Paintball: paintball-specific goggles that meet standard F1776 of the American Society for Testing and Materials
Lacrosse: a helmet with full face protection
Swimming: watertight swimming goggles (Prescription goggles are available.)
Safe fun in the sun
Besides wearing sunglasses, follow these tips to keep your eyes protected in the sun:
- Wear a wide-brimmed hat or cap. Fifty percent of sunlight comes from directly overhead and can slip past most sunglasses.
- Never look at the sun directly, even through sunglasses, because doing so can cause permanent damage to your eyes. You can also hurt your eyes by routinely staring at the sun reflected on water.
- Wear sunscreen on your face and around your eyes, including your eyelids.
- Avoid commercial tanning booths. If you do go, make sure the salon gives you special protective goggles to wear.
- Certain drugs make your eyes more sensitive to light. These photosensitizing drugs include tetracycline (Achromycin V, Sumycin), doxycycline (Doxy 100, Doxy 200, Vibramycin), allopurinol (Aloprim, Zyloprim) and phenothiazine derivatives, such as chlorpromazine (Thorazine) and thioridazine (Mellaril). Wear sunglasses and a hat each time you go outside for as long as you take one of these drugs.
- If you have an eye disease such as macular degeneration, you are at greater risk of UV-related eye damage. Protect your eyes whenever you go outside, no matter how briefly.
 |
| Exercise To Improve Eyesight |
To find out more, you can check out Exercise To Improve Eyesight.