The Wilmington morning star., 1946-03-18
Doctor Says
EYE IN7RUDERs
By WILLIAM A. o,nr,,,

~ 'A" A. o'BRiEN, NJ,
:. Cleanliness is of first impo,t.,.'
in IL removing foreign oodi.. 'sn'' s
the eye, as serious infection, a'a
follow trivial injuries. III, may ma,
common eye injury ,s , ,or.s a.oN
body lodged in the sorp., -''s'n
Dust cinders, and ,r,u
ticles as =, may lodge on the ,l'am m,: e'h
t;au o. the eyebau and cause 'Gis,se, ir,;..,
tlon and an excessive tloll @'lta.
tears. AS movements ~ ,h now Of
and ar lids are the commonest tAe e.' sys'
OF injury by foreign bodies s'use' S
lids should be tightly cio,es' ae
the eyes held as still as pos,isisa saa
1or this results in an accnna'i'' rYp,,o.'
tion OF tears which NAV fjn,h fst,'ua, "a,
the foreign body when the Ts. eve, ssi ou'
opened. eyes aa
Ii the material Is located 49,,
f;o,I. @ uppet no' II may be more dis.
be closed and with clean bars. st.'.la w
lashes on the upper lid sbonI5 Is 'ae ae
grasped firmly and pulled forw..
and upward. The wooden nor.s. t~s
OF match should be held n '.n@ Nv,
OF the eye and the lid turned b.. t,uI'
over it. A small foreign boSs ;s
can be removed with a m ner+so.ly, sOGy
clean handkerchief or with > WY u,i,.
of cotton. "'Sa
It these methods fail, tn. .s,s.
thlns to do is to flush the eve win
saturated boric acid solution "'. ~.
to put in some olive oil, castor ,S
or mineral oil. The eye shouts w. H.
covered with a pad or a band.0. =.
1irmly applied to keep it from N,
moving, and a physician consultsd
physicians usually employ . IN
cal anesthetic to relieve the main
since this practice permits a NOR,
thorough search for the toreiyn
BODY, which then can be removed
with sterile instruments.
The eye is flooded with , ,o,.
tion OF special dye to determins
how much damage has been dons
to the surface. An antiseptic !.
next instilled and a firmly band.
aged dressing applied and left on
for "a hours.
Delayed reaction to a foreign
body may result in corneal uleera,
ton five to seven days after ths
injury, as the particle may have
lodged in a comparatively insensi.
tive portion.
Most industrial eye injuries 90.
cur in occupations In which flying
particles may injure the eye. Il
small particles strike the eye with
great speed, they may enter the
globe and cause serious damage.
X-rays can be used to locate these
particles if they throw a shadow
on the film.
Eye injuries are a common daily
experience in industry. The ma.
jority are preventable. Protective
goggles, machine safeguards, and
instruction of Workmen all help 10
decrease their number.
Some employees believe that
wearing goggles is unnecessary,
but an injury to one member Of a
group has great teaching value.
Employees in dangerous occupa'
tions should wear safety glassei
made of case-hardened lenses
with the workers correction
ground in. These special glasses
help prevent accidents because o.
the greater ease with which they
enable the workman to perform
his job and also because OF me
protection they afford.
Lacerations and foreign bodles
are not the only eye injuries Whlca
can be avoided. Cataracts develop
from excessive heat. Alerglc II
ritation of the eye follows exposure
to an irritating substance. lnlec
tions are spread through careless
raes in nersonal hygiene.