After a Chemical Eye Splash: How to Care for Your Child

A chemical eye splash is a serious injury. Infection and eye damage are important concerns, but proper care can lessen these risks.

When chemicals get into the eye, the damage that results depends on the type of chemical and how long it was in the eye. Removing the chemicals as soon as possible is important to prevent or reduce eye damage.

The health care provider carefully washed your child's eye(s) with water or saline solution to remove the chemical and lessen the chance of injury. If there was any chemical on the surrounding skin, it was also removed. Medication may have been placed in the eye to reduce pain and inflammation, and the health care provider might have given your child a tetanus vaccine if needed.

Your child might have pain, redness, swelling, poor vision, or sensitivity to bright light for a while. Sometimes an eye that has been exposed to chemicals can get infected. Your health care provider may have prescribed eye ointment, drops, or medicine to take by mouth to prevent infection; medicines to help with healing; and pain relievers.

Providing proper care at home can keep inflammation to a minimum and help prevent infections.

• If your health care provider prescribed medicine and/or eye ointment, use as directed.

• Wash your hands before applying eye medicine or caring for your child's eyes.

• Remind your child not to rub or touch his or her eyes.

• If your child is uncomfortable, a medication may help:

  • For children under 6 months, you may give acetaminophen.

  • For children over 6 months, you may give acetaminophen OR ibuprofen, if recommended.

• Feed your child a regular healthy diet.

• Do not cover your child's eye with gauze or a patch unless the health care provider instructed you to do so.

• If light bothers your child, keep window shades closed or (for an older child) offer sunglasses.

• Your child may need help getting around if vision is poor or blurry.

• Follow the health care provider's instructions about your child's return to school and other activities.

• Schedule any follow-up appointments as directed.

Your child has:

• Worsening vision.

• Pain that gets worse while taking pain medicine.

• Has trouble with any of the medicines.

Your child:

• Develops vomiting.

• Has fever, eye drainage, or increasing redness or swelling around the eyes.

• Keep chemicals, cleaners, and other potentially dangerous objects out of reach of young children.

• Older children should wear safety glasses when handling chemicals or cleaners at work, school, or home.