Eye injuries

1. Causes and characteristics of eye injuries

Eye injuries can be cause by:

• Dirt in the eye (a speck of dirt or a sharp object like a splinter of metal)
• Corrosive substances
• Chemical burns 
• Ultraviolet light, strong lights, sunlamps

2. Assessing the victim

Symptoms of eye injuries:

• Red
• Watering
• Bleeding in or around the eye
• Pupil may be deformed

3. What the ERO should do

What to do in the event of an eye injury:

• Decide whether to call 112, or to accompany the victim to a doctor or casualty department yourself
• Make sure the victim does not rub his eyes
• Do not remove anything from the eye, and leave contact lenses in 
• If it is a speck of dirt that is not on a coloured part of the eye you can try to remove it with the corner of a clean gauze 

If an object such as metal splinter has penetrated the eye, or just has touched, there will be bleeding in the eye, you have to proceed as follows:

• Ask the victim to lie down or place him in a semi-reclining position (support his back) to reduce the pressure on the eye
• Ask the victim to cover the eye with his hand. Do not use a bandage!
• Take the victim to a doctor
• A victim with an object penetrating his eye should be transported by ambulance, as it is specially equipped for transporting people with such injuries