It's a good idea to wear safety goggles when you mow the grass, so flying debris won't get in your eyes. However, if you forget to wear them, and a piece of grit or grass gets in your eye, you need to know what to do. Of course, if your eye is seriously damaged, you should go to an emergency room right away.
Otherwise, you can try to flush out the debris yourself before calling your eye doctor. Here's what you can do:
Flush Your Eye
If sand or dirt is irritating your eye, you can probably fix the problem by flooding your eye with water. Be sure to wash your hands first if they are dirty from doing yard work. Remove your contact lens if you have one in because grit can get trapped underneath it. Then flush your eye with a gentle stream of water.
If you're outdoors, you can use a garden hose on a low setting. Let the water wash over your eye to flush out the debris. You could also go indoors and stand under a gentle shower spray. If you are not close to a source of running water, you can pour bottled water over your eye. You could even use an eye cup or a small cup to hold water against your eye to dislodge the grit.
Flushing is done to rinse away tiny particles that are irritating your eye. If you have a splinter or some other object embedded in your eye, you should visit your eye doctor or the emergency room instead.
Watch For Symptoms Of Irritation
If it still feels like you have something in your eye after you flush it out, you should seek further medical care. You should also monitor yourself for signs of eye irritation even if you think all the debris is gone. Some things to watch for include eye pain, redness, and vision disturbances.
Resist the urge to rub your eye if it continues to feel discomfort. Rubbing could cause the debris to scratch your eye or puncture it. You may want to call your eye doctor for advice even if your eye feels better after you flush it. Since you may have difficulty looking at your own eye to tell what's going on, you might have debris embedded in it that you can't see.
Prevent Further Eye Injuries
It only takes a second for something to fly into your eye when you're mowing the yard. Invest in a good pair of goggles or wraparound sunglasses, and remember to wear them when you do yard work and other home improvement chores. You may find goggles annoying to wear, but the inconvenience is worth it if you can avoid an eye injury and vision loss.
To learn more, contact a company like http://watsonvision.com/ with any questions you have.
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