Chemicals can be stored or used in many different places around the house, but the garage is perhaps one of the most common areas. Of course, dealing with chemicals in any circumstance should be done with safety and caution, but accidents can and do happen. You may not even think about it much, but exposure is a risk as you do things like paint, work on your car, or clean up a container that has fallen from a garage shelf.
If chemicals have somehow gotten into your eyes, here are some steps to flushing them out and seeking medical attention:
Rinse Your Eyes Immediately: With your fingertips, prop your eyelids wide open and place your head under a faucet. Hands should be clean as to prevent more chemicals getting into your eye. Next, use a gentle, continuous stream of cool or lukewarm water to flush out your eye. If both eyes have been exposed to the chemicals, have the water hit the bridge of your nose to direct the flow into each eye. Do this for 15 minutes to half an hour.
A friend or helper can also assist you with positioning your head in the sink, or even pour water from a cup or bottle onto your eyes if a sink is not nearby. Another option is to hop into the shower and allow the streams of water to gently flow over your eyes and rinse them out.
If you have contacts in, they may come out with the flush. If they don’t, rinse out your eyes for several minutes before you remove them.
Other safety tips:
-Do not rub your eyes.
-Do not try putting eye drops in your eyes unless you have been advised by a medical professional to do so.
-If you can, after flushing out your eyes, put on sunglasses to reduce light sensitivity.
2) Get Medical Assistance
Once you’ve immediately rinsed out your eyes, your next move should be to seek out medical assistance by calling 911 or getting emergency room care. The fact is that chemical exposure is serious and can have a detrimental effect on vision. That’s not to say that plenty of people don’t recover from injuries such as these, but a lot depends on the type of chemical you were exposed to as well as the amount of it. Not to mention, certain chemicals like ammonia may not cause you any pain, but can still be significantly damaging. The bottom line is that professional medical evaluation and treatment can be an extremely valuable method of protecting your vision.
Getting Your Garage Organized
Organization in a garage can help prevent all sorts of accidents from chemical spills to trips and falls. If you are ready to get organized with quality cabinets, storage systems, and service, contact us at Garage Vision Co. in San Diego today.