If superglue gets into the eye
- Transfer
... It was out of town. In the rear light of the car, the bulb holder has broken, and it is forbidden to drive with such a malfunction. It is necessary to glue, and then additionally for strength to fix something else. The author of the original of this article was offered gel superglue, which he was not used to, so he brought a regular, inexpensive, fluid. Repair was successful, but the tube, as always, stuck to my fingers. Peeling it off, the author accidentally pressed it, and a drop of glue hit him in the corner of his eye ...
The author found the strength not to blink, began to hold his eyelids open with clean fingers, and screamed loudly. Friends ran up and all together entered the room. One of them, using contact lenses, brought saline and washed his eye several times, it was impossible to blink at that time. After making sure that the glue was completely washed off, the author tried to blink carefully, and he succeeded.
Then he gently washed the hardened glue from the lower eyelid and eyelashes. He was sure that he almost went blind in one eye. When everyone calmed down, the author decided to find out what usually happens in such cases, and what needs to be done in them.
As it turned out, nothing bad happened. More precisely, a terrible thing happened, but not really. Overview of 53 similar cases over 30 yearsmade by Dr. Sagili Chandrasekhara Reddy showed that none of them resulted in serious damage. In most of them, doctors removed the glue with forceps, cut the glued eyelashes, and washed the eye. And everyone was going home with two active eyes. That is, in this regard, superglue is safer than silicate glue, the ingress of which into the eye often leads to complications and blindness.
Oddly enough, nothing changes if there is a lot of superglue in the eye. This happens more often than it seems: in the dark, tubes with glue are mistaken for tubes with eye drops. Also, children often get into eye hospitals with superglue in their eyes. But even then the eye usually manages to be saved.
Brown Emergency Medicine also reportsabout a favorable outcome in a similar situation. If superglue sticks to the eyelid or even the eyeball, doctors rinse it with warm water, cover it with a bandage and leave it. Superglue itself peels off within 1 - 4 days.
The main thing when superglue gets into the eye is to remain calm. If anything, all of the following is not an official medical instruction. Try my best not to blink. Superglue polymerizes in the presence of moisture, if you blink, the eyelids can stick together, and also stick to the eyeball. Do not panic. Thoughtless actions can damage the eye more than the glue itself. Do not try to rub the eye, especially - to remove glue with any objects.
Rinse eye with clean water or saline for contact lenses, if any. Use only eye-safe products. Do not try to dissolve the glue with acetone, nail polish remover - all this will damage the eye even more. Not sure if the product is safe - do not try to use it.
Call a specialist immediately. They know what to do in such cases, and have with them everything necessary for this. Hardened superglue can damage the soft tissues of the eye mechanically, which, in turn, can lead to infection, so the help of specialists immediately after first aid on their own can not be neglected. If everything happened on a camping trip, you can use eye drops (only real ones!) And apply the blindfold yourself, but after the trip, consult a doctor anyway.
Do not be afraid of superglue. But if you do not want to spend the night in an eye hospital, remember the standard: "... it’s easier to prevent than to cure / extinguish / etc.". The simplest thing is to wear glasses before working with glue. Any - corrective, sunscreen, for the grinder, whatever. The main thing is to put them on.
The author found the strength not to blink, began to hold his eyelids open with clean fingers, and screamed loudly. Friends ran up and all together entered the room. One of them, using contact lenses, brought saline and washed his eye several times, it was impossible to blink at that time. After making sure that the glue was completely washed off, the author tried to blink carefully, and he succeeded.
Then he gently washed the hardened glue from the lower eyelid and eyelashes. He was sure that he almost went blind in one eye. When everyone calmed down, the author decided to find out what usually happens in such cases, and what needs to be done in them.
As it turned out, nothing bad happened. More precisely, a terrible thing happened, but not really. Overview of 53 similar cases over 30 yearsmade by Dr. Sagili Chandrasekhara Reddy showed that none of them resulted in serious damage. In most of them, doctors removed the glue with forceps, cut the glued eyelashes, and washed the eye. And everyone was going home with two active eyes. That is, in this regard, superglue is safer than silicate glue, the ingress of which into the eye often leads to complications and blindness.
Oddly enough, nothing changes if there is a lot of superglue in the eye. This happens more often than it seems: in the dark, tubes with glue are mistaken for tubes with eye drops. Also, children often get into eye hospitals with superglue in their eyes. But even then the eye usually manages to be saved.
Brown Emergency Medicine also reportsabout a favorable outcome in a similar situation. If superglue sticks to the eyelid or even the eyeball, doctors rinse it with warm water, cover it with a bandage and leave it. Superglue itself peels off within 1 - 4 days.
The main thing when superglue gets into the eye is to remain calm. If anything, all of the following is not an official medical instruction. Try my best not to blink. Superglue polymerizes in the presence of moisture, if you blink, the eyelids can stick together, and also stick to the eyeball. Do not panic. Thoughtless actions can damage the eye more than the glue itself. Do not try to rub the eye, especially - to remove glue with any objects.
Rinse eye with clean water or saline for contact lenses, if any. Use only eye-safe products. Do not try to dissolve the glue with acetone, nail polish remover - all this will damage the eye even more. Not sure if the product is safe - do not try to use it.
Call a specialist immediately. They know what to do in such cases, and have with them everything necessary for this. Hardened superglue can damage the soft tissues of the eye mechanically, which, in turn, can lead to infection, so the help of specialists immediately after first aid on their own can not be neglected. If everything happened on a camping trip, you can use eye drops (only real ones!) And apply the blindfold yourself, but after the trip, consult a doctor anyway.
Do not be afraid of superglue. But if you do not want to spend the night in an eye hospital, remember the standard: "... it’s easier to prevent than to cure / extinguish / etc.". The simplest thing is to wear glasses before working with glue. Any - corrective, sunscreen, for the grinder, whatever. The main thing is to put them on.