First aid for heat burns to the eyes or the area around the eyes

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First aid for heat burns to the eyes or the area around the eyes

• Immediately flush the eye with cool water. Fill a sink or dishpan with water. Put your face in the water, then open and close your eyelids to force water to all parts of your eye. You can also flush your eye under a running faucet or shower. You may need to open and close your eyelids with your fingers. Move your eye in all directions during the flushing so that all areas of your eye are rinsed. This is the first thing a health professional would do.
• Keep flushing for 30 minutes. The eye may feel better while flushing with cool water but may continue to be painful after you stop flushing.
• After flushing your eye, wear dark glasses or cover the eye with a sterile bandage or cloth. If you don't have a sterile one, use a clean bandage or cloth. Do not use fluffy cotton bandages around the eye that could tear apart and get stuck in the eye. Keeping the eye closed may help reduce pain.
• Do not apply any pressure to the eye or the area around the eye.
• If blisters form, do not pop them.
• Use a light, cool compress to reduce the pain. If a small ice pack is used, place a cloth between the ice and the skin. Do not use chemical cooling packs on the eyes. If the pack leaks, the chemicals could cause more eye damage.

Credits

Last updated:	December 06, 2007
Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, Christopher J. Rudnisky, MD, FRCSC - Ophthalmology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer