Eye Injuries & Farming
Foreign Body
Eye injury can occur when flying particles lodge in your eye e.g. metal, dust, and grain. This can occur working in the workshop and during field activities, eg operating grinder, electric drill, harvest, etc.
Signs
& Symptoms
·
Feeling of something
in your eye
·
Pain
· Excessive blinking & tears
First Aid
DO NOT RUB YOUR EYE! this may scratch your eye or embed the object. If you get something in your eye, flush the eye with clean running water or disposable eyewash. If the particle does not rinse free, pad the eye loosely & seek medical treatment. Never use a matchstick or sharp object to try and remove the object yourself. With all eye injuries it is best that someone else drives you to the doctor or hospital.
Treatment
and Care
Sometimes the doctor may use a local
anaesthetic to remove the foreign body. If so, you will need to wear an eye pad
to protect your eye until the anaesthetic wears off. Antibiotic cream or drops
may also be given to you to prevent any infection.
Wear your eye pad
for...............................................…………………………………….
Apply Chloromycetin or ……………………………..
every .…….... hours for............……
Then................................a
day for....……………………………………...........…..........
Date
.................................................
Sometimes an orange dye called
“fluorescein” may be used by the Doctor. This dye will disappear after a few
hours.
Flash
Burns
If you are exposed
to welding arcs without wearing APPROPRIATE EYE PROTECTION you are at risk of
burns to the eyes. This is often called
flash burns.
Signs &
Symptoms
·
Eye feels gritty
·
Sensitive to light
·
Redness &
swelling
These signs may not occur for 4-12
hours after exposure to welding arc.
First Aid
If this occurs,
keeping your eyes closed may avoid irritation. Irrigate both eyes with cooled
boiled water or sterile saline solution. You should stay indoors and wear dark glasses
or even cover both eyes with eye pads. Flash burns are often self-healing, but there may be two injuries eg flash burn and
embedded foreign body. Flash burn usually get better in a few days, if persist
you should seek medical treatment
as soon as possible, certainly immediately if there is any reduction in
vision.
Treatment and Care
Your treatment will
vary depending on the severity of the burns. You may require accident and
emergency care, one application of local anaesthetic eye drops to dilate your
pupils or you may require admission to hospital.
After
treatment it may take several hours for your pupils to constrict.
If possible, stay indoors and continue
to wear dark glasses and avoid any further welding for two to three days to
prevent further episodes. For pain relief consider taking Panadeine or other
recommended analgesics as directed. If
pain persists please return to your doctor for review.
Wear your eye pad for...
..............................................……………………………......
Apply .........................................……………..........
a day for.........……………….....
Date...............................................
Chemicals
Chemical splashes can occur during any
activity involving chemicals and result in serious eye injury. A droplet of chemical can enter the eye by
a splash, spill, drift or rubbing your eye with contaminated hands or
clothing.
First
Aid
SECONDS
COUNT. If any chemical enters the eye, the eye should
be flushed immediately with the nearest clean water eg eye bath, chemical
shower or bottled water. Look directly into the gentle stream of water, hold
your eyelids open if necessary with clean fingers and flush your eye and face
FOR
at least 15 minutes. LIGHTLY Pad eye and Seek Medical treatment as soon as
possible after first aid.
Take the MSDS or label with you (or the container, but not in the passenger section of the vehicle). The doctor needs to know what the product constitutes are. Don’t assume any chemical is safe. For more advice contact:
Poison Information Centre
131126
24 hours a day anywhere in Australia
Treatment
and Care
The medical and nursing staff may
continue with eyewashes in hospital and will undertake the appropriate care for
the particular chemical.
Penetrating
Eye Injury
Penetrating eye injuries are serious
and can be prevented by wearing protective eyewear. A common cause is pieces of
metal flying off at high speed from metal to metal contact eg hammering metal
fencing, vehicle accidents and using other tools etc.
Signs & Symptoms
·
Object lodged in eye
·
Pain
·
Feeling a blow to
the eye ( eg whilst hammering)
FIRST AID
DO NOT attempt to remove an embedded
foreign body.
DO NOT wash out the eye or use
antibiotic ointments.
Cover with an eye shield rather than a
pad to prevent direct pressure on the cornea (front covering of the eye). The bottom half of a clean plastic drink cup
is effective if an eye shield is not available.
Send patient to the nearest GP,
hospital or ophthalmologist for
medical attention.
The injured person must not eat or
drink before being examined.
TREATMENT
AND CARE
The doctor may use local anaesthetic
drops to relieve the pain. Treatment will depend on the severity of injury most
likely you will require transfer to a metropolitan or regional hospital for
surgery.
Preventing
Eye Injuries
After an accident has occurred often we
think “prevention is better than cure”.
Understandably, accidents do happen, but you CAN prevent some injuries
occurring through:
·
The use of correct and well maintained eye
safety equipment, eg. clean, clear safety glasses and welding goggles.
·
Knowing what to do
in an emergency before it happens.
·
Having an adequate
first aid kit in the workshop to facilitate first aid treatment. This includes
sterile eye stream and eye patch. Contact Red Cross or St John and purchase an
eye module first aid kit.
·
Have regular eye
checkups to see if you need prescription or non prescription type safety
glasses
Farmers are also at risk of eye damage
from too much sunlight whilst working long hours outdoors. Sunglasses and hats
are an important items to wear to prevent sun damage. Sunglasses should be fitted with side arms and sun hats will increase
the protection and reduce the risk of facial skin cancers.
Eye Goggles, face shields, welding
helmets, goggles and sunglasses may save your sight. For information regarding
the correct type, use and care of equipment for farm tasks contact your local
safety supplier.
Remember most
accidents occur when you are in a hurry, a few seconds taken in prevention
& planning may save your more time in the long run.
GPs promoting a healthier farming future
Prepared by
SA Farm Injury Project with the assistance
of Dr. Trevor
Hodson, Mount Gambier Eye Centre