Is this your symptom?
- Chemical gets into the eye from fingers, an object, spray or splash
- For strong chemicals, quickly flushing the eye with tap water is critical. Reason: to prevent any damage to vision.
Symptoms
- Most chemicals are harmless (soap, hair spray, sunscreen). They cause brief tearing or no symptoms.
- Some chemicals cause brief stinging and irritation (pink or red eye), but no eye damage.
- Acids and alkalis splashed into the eye cause severe eye pain. Examples are toilet bowl or oven cleaners. They can severely damage the eye and sometimes even cause blindness.
Harmless Chemicals
- These products are harmless to the eye: bubble bath, cosmetics, deodorant, and foods. Other examples are glow stick liquid, hair conditioner, hair spray, hand lotion, and liquid medicines. Shampoo, shaving cream, soap, sunscreen, and toothpaste are also harmless.
- Hydrogen peroxide, ethyl alcohol, gasoline, swimming pool water and vinegar are harmless. But, these products can cause eye redness and stinging.
- Eye contact with rubbing alcohol (isopropyl or hand sanitizer) is most often harmless, but it can cause a burn on the cornea. If symptoms occur, they will often go away with brief washing out of the eye now. If symptoms remain, go to the ER.
Harmful Chemicals: You Need to Prevent Chemical Burns of the Cornea
- Contact with acids or alkalis can cause severe damage to the eye. For these products, wash out the eye with water for 20 minutes now. Then, go to the ER. Knowing which it is (acid or alkali) doesn't matter for First Aid.
- Acids include any product labeled as an acid. Drain cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, and metal cleaners are often acids.
- Alkalis include lime, lye, hydroxides and industrial-strength ammonia. Drain cleaners, oven cleaners, bathroom cleaners, or industrial cleaners are often alkalis.
- Weak Alkalis. Household bleach, household ammonia and the contents of laundry or dish detergent pods (gel pacs) are weak alkalis. These products usually don't cause eye damage if the eye is washed out right away. Wash out the eye for 10 minutes. Then call the Poison Center at 1-800-222-1222.. They will tell you if the product is harmful. They can also tell you if you need to be seen.
When to Call for Eye - Chemical In
Go to ER Now
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
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Call Poison Center Now
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
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Self Care at Home
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Go to ER Now
- The chemical was an acid or alkali. Exception: mild agents such as vinegar, household bleach or household ammonia. First Aid: BEFORE going to the ER, wash out the eye now with tap water for 20 minutes.
- Unknown chemical and any eye symptoms (such as pain). First Aid: BEFORE going to the ER, wash out the eye now with tap water for 20 minutes.
Call Doctor or Seek Care Now
- Symptoms (tearing, blinking, blurred vision or eye pain) last more than 1 hour after washing the eye
- You think you need to be seen, and the problem is urgent
Call Poison Center Now
- Household bleach or ammonia (weak alkali). First Aid: BEFORE calling the Poison Center, wash out the eye now with tap water for 10 minutes.
- Detergent (gel pacs) for laundry or dishwasher (weak alkali). First Aid: BEFORE calling the Poison Center, wash out the eye now with tap water for 10 minutes.
- Unknown chemical and NO eye symptoms. First Aid: BEFORE calling the Poison Center, wash out the eye now with tap water for 10 minutes.
- Known chemical but not on the harmless list and NO eye symptoms. Harmless list is in Causes section. First Aid: BEFORE calling the Poison Center, wash out the eye now with tap water for 10 minutes.
Contact Doctor Within 24 Hours
- Redness of the eye lasts more than 24 hours
- You think you need to be seen, but the problem is not urgent
Contact Doctor During Office Hours
- You have other questions or concerns
Self Care at Home
- Harmless chemical (see the List in Causes section) and mild or no eye symptoms
Care Advice for Stomach Pain
What You Should Know About Stomach Pain:
- Mild stomach pain can be caused by something simple. It could be from gas pains or eating too much.
- Sometimes, stomach pain signals the start of a viral infection. This will lead to vomiting or loose stools.
- Watching your child for 2 hours will help tell you the cause.
- Here is some care advice that should help.
Lie Down:
- Have your child lie down and rest until feeling better.
Clear Fluids:
- Offer clear fluids only (such as water, flat soft drinks or half-strength Gatorade).
- For mild pain, offer a regular diet.
Prepare for Vomiting:
- Keep a vomiting pan handy.
- Younger children often talk about stomach pain when they have nausea. Nausea is the sick stomach feeling that comes before they throw up.
Pass a Stool:
- Have your child sit on the toilet and try to pass a stool.
- This may help if the pain is from constipation or diarrhea.
- Note: for constipation, moving a warm wet cotton ball on the anus may help.
Do Not Give Medicines:
- Any drug (like ibuprofen) could upset the stomach and make the pain worse.
- Do not give any pain medicines or laxatives for stomach cramps.
- For fever higher than 102° F (39° C), acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) can be given.
What to Expect:
- With harmless causes, the pain is most often better or gone in 2 hours.
- With stomach flu, belly cramps may happen before each bout of vomiting or diarrhea. These cramps may come and go for a few days.
- With serious causes (such as appendicitis), the pain worsens and becomes constant.
Call Your Doctor If:
- Pain becomes severe
- Constant pain lasts more than 2 hours
- Mild pain that comes and goes lasts more than 24 hours
- You think your child needs to be seen
- Your child becomes worse
Extra Help - Worried Stomach:
- Help your child talk about events that trigger the stomach pain. Talk to your child about how to cope with these the next time around.
- Help your child worry less about things she can't control.
- To treat the pain, help your child get very relaxed. Lying down in a quiet place and taking slow deep breaths may help. Make the belly go up and down with each breath. Then try to relax all the muscles in the body. Think about something pleasant. Listening to audios that teach how to relax might also help.
- Make sure your child gets enough sleep.
- Make sure that your child doesn't miss any school because of stomach pains. Stressed children tend to want to stay home when the going gets rough.
- Caution: your child should see her doctor for an exam. Do this before concluding frequent stomach pains are from worrying too much.
