Virtually all experts agree that the best contact in case of poisoning is a poison control center, also called a poison information center. The advice should be to call a poison control center as the best source of advice, but other possibilities are a physician or a hospital emergency room. That is important advice, as few physicians will be able to come up with the right advice on the spot. Poison control centers have experts who are trained to give immediate and reliable advice over the phone. The first aid in this case, if not administered correctly and immediately, can be the difference between blindness and saving sight.
Damage can occur within a minute.
Yet the advice is notably incomplete and often dangerous. The standard advice is to flush with water immediately for 10 to 15 minutes and then seek medical attention. That flushing process should start as quickly as possible. Some labels still fail to say that contact lenses should be removed. Labels usually fail to say that the eyelids should be held open.