First aid for ships (1974) Pt 3 of 3

a foreign body in the eye is a common accident it should be removed under good aseptic conditions the instruments and equipment are prepared on a table a bowl of lukewarm boiled water to dip the compresses in sterile compresses folded into a triangle to remove the foreign bodies with sterile compresses to dry away the tears bandages antiseptic eye drops anesthetic eye drops for the eye surface a foreign body needle that has been sterilized previously and when available a binocular loop and a pocket lamp before operating wash your hands carefully with antiseptic soap or lotion seat the patient in a good light and stand behind him with his head against your chest separate his eyelids invert the lower lid and ask the patient to look towards the four cardinal points so that you can see the whole surface of the eyeball and especially the inner surface of the lower eyelid if you find a foreign body under the lower eyelid take a folded compress and moisten it ask the patient to look upwards carefully push the foreign body out of the eye instill one or two drops of the antiseptic eye drops into the inverted lower eyelid then wipe clean the closed eye bandage the eye lightly and tell the patient to keep the bandage on for 12 hours even though the foreign body has been removed the feeling that it is still there may persist if the foreign body is under the upper eyelid seat the patient in a good light and sit in front of him turn back the eyelid on the small stick used for the purpose or on a matchstick the edges of which have been rounded off by rolling between the fingers close the eye and place the matchstick on the upper eyelid take hold of the eyelashes turn the eyelid upwards on the matchstick and withdraw the matchstick the foreign body is on the inner surface of the upper eyelid remove it with a moistened compress in the same way as for the lower eyelid instill one or two antiseptic eye drops once again into the pouch formed with the inverted lower eyelid put on a light bandage telling the patient to keep it on for 12 hours if the foreign body is very adherent to the eye and cannot be removed with a compress an experienced person can use a foreign body needle to remove it instill one or two anesthetic eye drops into the pouch formed with the inverted lower eyelid let the anaesthetic act for five minutes then repeat the anaesthetic dose wash your hands carefully with an antiseptic soap or lotion sit in front of the patient if possible with a binocular loop lift his upper eyelid while supporting his head with your left hand pull down his lower eyelid using the little finger of your right hand as a support use the foreign body needle which should have been sterilized previously with extreme care it should slip over the eye without entering it so as to prevent any lesion of the covering membrane from occurring it is by slipping the foreign body needle under it that the foreign body should be removed instill one or two antiseptic eye drops into the pouch of the lower eyelid put on a pressure bandage instructing the patient to close his eyes tight while it is being put on the bandage should be kept on for 24 hours some metallic foreign bodies can also be removed from the eye with a small magnet you