Chemical Injury to the Eye

What Is It?

Eyes can be damaged by solid, liquid, powder or aerosol chemicals. Chemical injuries that happen in the home are most likely to be caused by soaps, disinfectants, solvents, cosmetics, drain cleaners, oven cleaners, ammonia and bleach. In agricultural settings, fertilizers or pesticides can cause eye damage. In industry, many irritating chemicals and solvents can injure the eye.

A chemical eye injury is an emergency. Damage can occur within one to five minutes. Most of the time, however, chemicals that come in contact with the eye cause only surface damage and no loss of vision. Caustic (alkaline) chemicals cause the worst damage. These include ammonia, drain cleaners, automatic dishwashing detergents and oven cleaners.

Symptoms

Symptoms include:

• A burning sensation in the eye after exposure to a chemical
• Excessive tearing
• Pain
• Redness on the eye and eyelid surface
• Blurred vision

Diagnosis

After your eye has been rinsed completely, your doctor will measure the pH (acidity) of the tears in your eye to make sure the chemicals have been washed out. Then your doctor will inspect your eye for damage and test your vision with an eye chart.

Normally, the doctor can see inside by using a handheld ophthalmoscope. However, a whitish, hazy area can appear in the clear part of the cornea. This can block clear vision, and may prevent your doctor from seeing inside the eyeball through the pupil. If any significant damage has occurred, your doctor probably will recommend that you see an eye doctor (ophthalmologist) for a more complete inspection and vision testing.

Expected Duration

How long symptoms last depends on the type of chemical and the amount that has gotten into the eye.

Prevention

To prevent chemical damage to the eye, wear protective goggles whenever working with chemicals.

If your eye is exposed to chemicals, the most important way you can limit the damage is to start flushing the eye with water immediately. Use a strong steady stream of clean water. Arrange for immediate evaluation by a doctor. Continue the flushing until you are ready to go.

Treatment

Before you call a doctor, begin to rinse the eye with a continuous stream of water. It is best to use cool running water and to continue to rinse for at least 10 minutes. Some industrial locations have special fountains for washing eyes. If a fountain is not available, open your eyelids with your fingers and hold your head under a faucet. Allow water to run from the bridge of your nose outward across the eye so you don't expose the other eye to the chemical you are rinsing out. If both eyes are affected, you can either alternate sides or allow the water to flow over both eyes at once.