Rinsing a forein body from the eye

Authors: Simulation and Certification Center

Editor: Rednenko V.V.

Clinical situation:  

A neighbor has asked you for help. Her 12-year-old son complains of pain in his right eye. The child sits with his eye closed, his hand pressed to it. The survey did not reveal any obvious reasons for the incident. The presence of injury is denied.  

Equipment for the practical skill:

• simulator;
• universal first aid kit;
• a glass or a pitcher with clean water;
• towel.

The procedure for performing a practical skill

• Introduce yourself.
• Identify patient.
• Obtain informed consent to the procedure:
  • give all the information to the person about what the procedure involves, including the benefits and risks, whether there are reasonable alternative, and what will happen without this procedure;
  • explain what you are going to do;
  • ask the patient to consent to procedure.
• Advise the casualty not to rub her eye.
• Position the person:
  • ask him to sit down facing a light;
  • stand beside, or just behind, the casualty.
• Examine the person’s eye:
  • gently separate his eyelids with your thumbs or finger and thumb;
  • ask him to look right, left, up, and down;
  • examine every part of his eye as he does this.

• Identify a type of the problem:
  • verify a foreign body in the eye (for example, an eyelash); 
  • choose a way to remove the foreign body (rinsing out).
• If you can see a foreign body on the white of the eye, flash it out by pouring clean water from a glass or pitcher, or by using a sterile eyewash if you have one: 
  • put a towel around the casualty’s shoulders;
  • hold his eye open; 
  • pour the water from the inner corner so that it drains onto the towel.

• If this is unsuccessful, try lifting the body off with a moist swab or the damp corner of a clean handkerchief or tissue paper.
• If you still cannot remove the body, seek medical help.