Eyes
Many children get foreign bodies in their eyes, such as dust, sand or paint. Even a tiny amount can be very irritating and make the child’s eye feel sore. Foreign bodies fall into two categories.
Superficial foreign bodies: these stick to the front of the eye or get trapped under one of the eyelids, but do not enter the eye.
Penetrating foreign bodies: these penetrate the outer layer of the eye (cornea or sclera) and enter the eye. These objects are usually travelling at high speed and are commonly made of metal.
Treatment
Most superficial foreign bodies can be easily removed by following these steps:
Put on disposable gloves
Make sure the child is sitting down
Gently pull down the lower eyelid and gently remove any speck of dust, dirt etc with a clean piece of gauze swab
If that don’t work pull the upper eyelid over the lower eyelid to try to flush away with tears
If the foreign body is still in the eye wash with water by:
Positioning the head over the sink or a bowl with the eye open and facing down
Using a clean plastic cup pour water on the eye from the nose side outwards
Penetrating foreign bodies
If a child has a penetrating foreign body in their eye they may have the following symptoms:
Problems with vision
Be sensitive to light
Pain when moving eye
Blood in the eye
Redness or swelling
Numbness
They may be unable to open the eye
paediatric first aid help!
Linear Mode
