You have responded to a scene at which a young man tells you he splashed a chemical into his eye. He is complaining of burning and pain in his right eye. After performing a primary assessment and finding no life-threatening conditions, you would:
a. obtain a set of vital signs and SAMPLE.
b. identify the exact chemical involved so that you can get the antidote.
c. hold the patient's injured eye open and flush it with large amounts of sterile water from the nose to the outer edge of the eye.
d. instruct the patient to keep his eyes closed and not rub them while you arrange for emergency transport.
Question 2
A young boy was running through the lodge with a pencil and tripped. The pencil impaled the boy's left eye and remains lodged in place. Appropriate care for the eye would include:
a. stabilizing the impaled object and providing immediate transport.
b. quickly removing the pencil from the eye to prevent the loss of vision.
c. applying ice to the affected eye to decrease pressure and reduce subsequent damage.
d. applying gentle pressure to the pencil and the eye to keep the pencil from moving.