Featured Medical Tip: Got Something in Your Eye?

One of the most important assets to possess during a less-than-desirable-situation is…one's health! When life is “good” and you are not trapped on bed rest, recovering from a debilitating illness, or some other physical limitation, it's easy to take good health for granted. Now, picture this: A sudden earthquake rattles your location and shuts down electricity, water, damages roads, and leaves terrible collateral damage. Miraculously, you make it out OK!

As you work to secure your family and survey immediate surroundings, you find that they are shaken, but safe. You reach out to help neighbors and those nearest you. In all the rush to respond, you minimized what you thought was some dust in your eye. But your eye feels more and more irritated and it's more difficult to focus on your efforts because your eye seems to be tearing up and watering on its own. You finally realize it's best to take a look, so you head to the nearest location and find a clear reflective surface only to discover a small splinter sticking out of your eye! How should you treat it?

Be sure to wash your hands and to use clean equipment...have lots of water for irrigation also available.

Here's a tip from Dr. Bones & Nurse Amy of DoomandBloom.net:

Splinters in the eye can cause significant scarring and permanently affect your vision.
therefore, removal of the foreign object as soon as possible will lessen the chance of damage.

First, look in the mirror to identify the location of the splinter.  Evert the eyelid and
look towards each side to expose the largest area of the eye surface.  Then, once
you identify the splinter, wash the eye out with clean water; this sometimes flushes it out
by itself.  If not, use a magnifying glass and fine tweezers to gently extricate the splinter
using the exact same path it entered through. Do this yourself ONLY if modern medical
care is inaccessible.

Expect a sensation like a grain of sand in your eye for a period of time afterwards;
using an eye pad will cause less irritation from blinking.

Be sure to visit DoomandBloom.net to read their two-part series of Collapse Eye Care Part 1 and Part 2.

As always, a special thanks to Dr. Bones & Nurse Amy for their Expert Advice. Be sure to pick up their new book, Doom and Bloom™ Survival Medical Handbook

-TBG