A burn of the eyes from welding is called the medical term electrophthalmia. Signs of it can appear in about 8 hours, or even earlier. Then observed:
- burning eyes, which gradually turns into pain;
- the victim begins to behave uneasily;
- fear of the light;
- spasms are clearly felt over the centuries;
- begins tearing.
How to alleviate the condition of the victim?
At the first signs, when there was a burn of the eyes from welding, what to treat? To alleviate the condition of the victim, you need:
- place it in a room where sunlight does not fall, in extreme cases, close the windows with a thick cloth;
- Do not allow him to go out without dark sunglasses.
When the retina is not affected, then the vision will remain full, and in the case of a light burn, everything will recover on its own in a few days and nothing will even remind you of a little trouble.
Eye burn occurs during welding under the influence of ultraviolet radiation on the cornea. The effect on pain and the degree of burns depends on its intensity . The reason for this may be that a person often removes the mask during work or does everything without it.
Degrees
There are 4 degrees of electrophthalmia:
1. Light when the following is observed:
- eye burning;
- there is a redness of the conjunctiva;
- eyelids itch;
- the cornea of the eye becomes cloudy.
2. Average when present:
- sharp pain;
- the reaction to light is made more pronounced;
- a film appears on the conjunctiva;
- there is erosion of the cornea.
3. In severe cases, you may notice the following:
- clouding of the cornea becomes stronger;
- the pain is made longer;
- eyelids begin to swell;
- vision is reduced;
- there is a feeling that a foreign element has entered the eye.
4. This is already an extremely severe degree:
- constant pain in the eyes, and the eyelids open with great difficulty;
- there is tissue necrosis;
- the conjunctiva slowly dies;
- possible manifestations of blindness;
- The cornea becomes more faded and colorless.
Medical treatment
If there is a burn of the eyes after welding, what to treat? Doctors suggest doing everything according to this scheme:
- with the help of certain drugs to remove the inflammatory process;
- take something anesthetic - “Analgin” or “Ibuprofen”;
- use painkillers for the eyes ;
- take antihistamines;
- treat the eyes with antiseptic drugs (ointments and drops);
- continue treatment with ointments, the effect of which is healing and regenerating.
To make the inflammation go faster, the doctor may prescribe Indomethacin or Diclofenac tablets separately, as well as drops of Clodifen.
First aid
How to treat an eye burn after welding?
- First of all, the patient should be given something anesthetizing and anti-inflammatory.
- Flush eyes with plenty of purified water.
- If small metal particles get into your eyes, carefully remove them with a cotton swab or a clean, soft cloth. If this can not be done, then you need to urgently consult a doctor who will make it special equipment.
- For 10 minutes on the eyelids it is necessary to hold a cold compress.
- Lastly, you need to apply an antiseptic in the form of an ointment.
After the first aid provided, you must definitely consult a doctor and do it as soon as possible. This precaution will in future be able to protect against possible complications in such a situation.
Prohibited Actions
But what should you do if you get an eye burn from welding? What can not be treated in any case:
- If you feel foreign material in the eyes, it is strictly forbidden to rub them. If you ignore this advice, you can damage the conjunctiva film, which is very thin, resulting in an inflammatory process, followed by pain.
- It is not recommended to bury eyes with any drops, for example, from fatigue. The composition of the drug may contain components that can negatively affect the cornea and provoke an inflammatory process.
- When washing the eyes, do not use plain tap water. Since it can contain magnesium, chlorine, calcium. They can cause even more irritation of the mucous membrane.
Medical preparations
But how to treat eye burns from welding? Mostly preferred medications. But you need to remember that each remedy is intended for a specific symptom, but if they are combined into a complex, they will perfectly cope with the disease.
In most cases, use:
- Drops for the eyes, which relieve inflammation and swelling. They include: "Vizin", "Vizoptin", "Prokulin." Apply three times a day drop by drop. The course of treatment is 3 days.
- Anesthetic eye drops “Alkain”, “Tetracain”, “Lidocaine” (2%). Take for two days a couple of times a day. Their further use is possible only with the permission of the doctor.
- Antibiotics for the eyes "Levofloxacin", "Tobramycin", "Gentametsin", as well as their analogues - "Obrex", "Oftakvik", "Gentagut" are possible. They are instilled for a week 4-5 times a day.
But for your own safety, it is better to consult a doctor before using any drug.
We treat at home
If there is a burn of the eyes from welding, how to treat at home? Now consider the most popular and effective tools.
Rinse your eyes about 4 times a day with decoctions - linden, chamomile or calendula. To prepare this tool is simple. It is necessary to fill the medicinal plant with boiling water and insist 10 minutes.
You can use grated potatoes. It is placed in gauze and applied for 10 minutes to the injured eyes.
Inflammation perfectly removes lotion made from boiled chamomile and butter. The product must first be applied to a cotton swab, and then to the affected eyelids.
To remove the inflammatory process and quickly restore damaged epithelium, self-prepared drops from aloe juice and liquid natural honey are used. Instilled dropwise twice a day. But extreme caution is needed with this remedy. In no case do not apply it in the first day after damage, as it is possible to harm the eyes more than help.
You can still use the infusion of aloe. Fresh leaves of the plant are crushed and poured with non-hot water, but always boiled. The composition should be insisted for three hours in a place where sunlight does not fall. After that, a cotton swab is moistened and applied to the eyes for half an hour. Such an action will not only help relieve the inflammatory process, but will also draw excess fluid from the eyes.
But no matter how effective these home remedies are, it’s better not to do anything on your own without consulting a specialist.
Complications
If you tighten with an appeal to the doctor, then complications may occur:
- the cornea becomes not only more cloudy, scars and ulcers may appear on it;
- the inflammatory process will develop into a chronic one;
- retinal cells, which have a protective function, are destroyed;
- cells important for vision die.
Conclusion
For any welding job, even the smallest, always wear a face shield so that there is no burns to the eyes from welding. How to treat it, in the article we wrote. If, nevertheless, such a nuisance accidentally occurred, to eliminate the arisen pain, you need to dip your face in cool water.