MEDICAL SURFARI: PROTECT YOUR WINDOWS TO THE WORLD FROM INJURY

There are nearly one million Americans who have already lost some degree of sight to an eye injury and many of these have occurred in the work place. The vast majority of eye injuries are preventable with the use of proper safety eye wear.

Injury to the cornea, the clear protective "window" of the eye, is the most common eye injury. Abrasions or scratches of the cornea are commonly caused by a particle of foreign material. Corneal injuries can also result from everyday activities by accidentally brushing the eye while playing sports, doing home repairs, or from liquid chemicals and cleaners that may splash into the eye. Usually, corneal abrasions are superficial and often heal quickly, although they may be painful. Some corneal abrasions can become more serious if the cornea becomes infected and/or ulcerated.

Your blink reflex is a protective reflex to prevent the eye from being touched and injured. The production of tears also is a protective reflex to flood and rinse the eye of any foreign material. The cornea is very sensitive and even the smallest piece of dust may feel like a boulder when it is under your eyelid.

There are several methods for removing foreign objects from your eye and the technique depends upon what it is and whether the object has penetrated the eye.

If a small object such as an insect or dust particle gets into your eye, it may be removed gently with a clean moistened cotton tip swab. If it is on the cornea, blink a few times to get it into the less sensitive white area before you touch your eye with a moistened swab.

Chemical splash accidents are treated differently. Household cleaners containing ammonia are especially common causes of this type of injury. If you splash a chemical into your eye, tilt your head over a sink with the injured eye lower and fill a glass with clean lukewarm or use the faucet directly to rinse or spray your eye as you hold your eyelid open. Rinse gently and slowly for several minutes. Rinsing the eye may wash out the offending foreign body or dilute the irritating chemical that was splashed into the eye. Many work sites have eye rinse stations specifically for this purpose.

If a foreign object does not move when you blink or if you cannot see the object and blinking remains painful, seek immediate medical help and do not try to remove the object or flush the eye further.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the direct cause of eye injuries in the workplace is more than $467 million annually in the United States ... and most of these injuries are preventable with the use of proper safety eye wear.

Another common cause of eye injury is sports or recreation-related trauma. These types of injuries occur when high velocity objects; such as, a baseball, hockey puck, racquetball, or badminton shuttlecock strikes the eye directly. These types of eye injuries may result in bleeding within the eye or other internal injury that may result in visual loss or complete loss of the eye.

Always wear protective glasses when playing sports and when using tools or cleaning agents or industrial chemicals. If you sustain an eye injury, see your doctor immediately if you have any of the following eye problems:

-- Bleeding from the eye(s)

-- Pain

-- Blurred or double vision

-- A laceration on or near the eye

-- Any debris on or in the eye that does not flush out with water

Worldwide Web Resources

Prevent Blindness America

www.mayohealth.org/mayo/9608/htm/common_e.htm

This Web site provided by the Mayo Clinic discusses common ways injuries occur, treatment of eye injuries, and prevention safety tips.

Prevent Blindness America

www.prevent-blindness.org/safety/prvnt_injuries.html

More than 365,000 people suffer work-related eye injuries each year. This Web site provides 10 ways to prevent eye injuries at work.

Eyenet Eye Anatomy & Health

www.eyenet.org/public/faqs/sports_faq.html

The American Academy of Ophthalmology provides information in this Web site on eye injury prevention in sports. Since 90 percent of all eye injuries from sports are preventable, if you participate in sports activities, you will find this site valuable to you.

Dr. Scott Gibbs is a neurosurgeon and editor-in-chief of Mosby's Medical Surfari. You may e-mail questions to him at drgibbs@semissourian.com or write in care of the Southeast Missourian, P.O. Box 699, Cape Girardeau, Mo., 63701.