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How To Remove A Foreign Object From The Eye

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How To Remove A Foreign Object From The Eye

We show the best measures to extract a foreign object from your eye. It's the little things which cause the big problems. This can save you a lot of discomfort in the long-term. We show the best measures to extract a foreign object from your eye. It's the little things which cause the big problems. This can save you a lot of discomfort in the long-term.

Step 1: Remove contact lenses

If you are a contact lens wearer then remove your contact lenses first.

Step 2: Look for object in lower eyelid

Gently pull out the lower lid by the lashes and check for any foreign objects.

Step 3: Swab it away

Use a clean swab moistened with cooled boiled water to wipe away the foreign object

Step 4: Water your eye

If the foreign object is not visible, then pull down the upper lid over the lower lid. This may help the eye to water and wash the object out of the eye.

Step 5: Face the light

If you are helping someone with something in their eye, firstly, make sure they don’t rub their eyes.To help find the foreign object, face the person into the light.

Step 6: Stand behind them

Wrap a towel around the injured person’s shoulders.

Step 7: Tilt head and separate eyelids

Tilt their head back and carefully separate the eyelids using your finger and thumb. Keeping the head still, examine the eye fully by asking the person to look left, right, up and down.

Step 8: Flush the eye

If you can see the foreign object on the white of the eye, you can try flushing it out with cooled boiled water or a sterile eye wash solution. Pour the water from a clean receptacle on the inner corner of the eye ensuring it flows outwards and away from the nose and let it dribble down onto the towel.

Step 9: Remove with a cotton bud

If the problem persists, try using a cotton bud moistened in cooled boiled water or slightly wet the corner of handkerchief and use instead.

Step 10: Don’t touch anything sticking or embedded

If an object of any size does appear to be stuck, simply cover the affected eye, if possible using a sterile dressing or a clean non-fluffy eye pad and ask the person to hold in place. Seek medical advice immediately and secure the dressing with a bandage if medical assistance is delayed.

Step 11: Seek medical advice

If the symptoms persist even if the object cannot be seen, seek medical advice immediately.

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Tips & Comments
  1. ThatOneGirl

    i once got an eyelash stuck under my contact lens, and i must say that i didn't use this method at all. after i removed the contact, it was still in my eye, and the best way i've found is just to let your eye water. if its on the white part of your eye you can pull it out with your fingers, but if its on the colored part, wait for it to move with your tears.

  2. Anonymous

    i luv videojug

  3. summerflower

    Very helpful. Although not what I had searched for - which was how to make my own temporary eye wash as my sterile eye wash is running out - it did answer my question: I can use cooled boiled water. The video shows more or less what I would probably do anyway but I found the step by step presentation helpful and particularly the advice about not moving either eye (if symptoms persist) as movement in the good eye will cause movement in the injured eye. Re time taken to cool boiled water: I often have some in the kettle anyway but it is worth keeping a bottle of sterile eye wash in your first aid kit just in case.

  4. Anonymous

    How can you possibly keep the person waiting while the water boils and cools? Half and hour could easily pass by.

  5. Anonymous

    Thank you for helping me.

  6. Anonymous

    u got lovely eyes i must say :] i may b 16 but it thnk im inlove :D ...with ur eyes :\

  7. the1bloke

    Very nicely done video and quite instructive. I must say I usually don't have time to find "cooled boiled water" when I've got something in my eye, so I usually use tap water if the eyelid pull-over method does not work. One more point, about putting a patch over something that is stuck in the eye, I would say NOT to pat on it as they do in the video, because if it's a shard of glass or bit of wood or whatever, it may further damage the eye. But overall, this video was very well done, and I especially liked the apparent lighting/colour/contrast/softening. It's tough to shoot this kind of thing IMO.

  8. marconi198

    all people face such problem, thank you so much

  9. Anonymous

    uhh how about just asking a friend/family member to come over and blow in your eye

  10. dtmaddog

    How to get stuff out of your eye. How to remove an eyelash from an eye. Ouch. I need a film called How to remove contact lenses. Please?