Dear Editor:
Approximately 1 million eye injuries occur each year in the United States from sports accidents, consumer fireworks, toys and games, household chemicals, battery acid, workshop and yard debris. In honor of Eye Injury Prevention Month (July), Tiffany Uzzell, MD, an emergency physician on staff at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, offers the following advice for eye injuries:
1. Do not rub the eye. Rubbing may cause more damage.
2. Do not apply ointment or medication to the eye.
3. Do not attempt to wash the eye or remove any object stuck in the eye.
4. In the case of a chemical burn, immediately flush the eye with clean water and get to an emergency room.
5. To treat a blow to the eye, gently apply small cold compresses to reduce pain and swelling. Do not apply pressure. Remember, even a slight blow can cause a significant eye injury.
6. To treat sand or small debris in the eye, use an eyewash to flush your eye out. Do not rub the eye.
7. Avoid giving aspirin, ibuprofen or other non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs. These drugs thin the blood and may increase bleeding.
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center is a 669-bed regional referral teaching hospital with specialized programs including heart and kidney transplantation, cardiac surgery, oncology, and maternal/child health services. An affiliate of the Saint Barnabas Health Care System, Newark Beth Israel is the site of Children’s Hospital of New Jersey and The Heart Hospital of New Jersey.
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center