WATER EYE FLUSH for Pepper Spray or Tear Gas

video of EYE FLUSH

WATER EYE FLUSH for Pepper Spray or Tear Gas

Make sure you are wearing disposable gloves whenever you come in direct contact with someone who has been contaminated with chemicals

INTRODUCE YOURSELF AND YOUR ROLE

ASK FOR PERMISSION TO TREAT

EXPLAIN WHAT YOU WILL DO TO THE PERSON

If the victim’s eyes are burning from contamination, you need to immediately determine if they are wearing contact lenses. If so, instruct them to remove the lenses immediately (before their eyes spasm shut), lest permanent eye damage could result.

To flush the bulk of contaminants from the victim’s eyes, conduct the procedure with utmost care.

Have the victim kneel on the ground, and tilt their head back and slightly to one side. If they are not wearing water resistant clothing and the air temperature is cool, you may need to cover the victim with a raincoat, poncho or plastic bag — they are about to get rather wet.

Stand in front of the patient. With a squirt-style drinking bottle in one hand, use the thumb of your other hand to carefully but surely pry the upper eyelid open, at least a slight amount. You may want to brace the heel of your hand against their cheek to prevent accidental poking of their eye with the squirt nozzle.

CONTACT LENS STILL IN: With the tip of the water bottle a few inches from the eye to be treated, GENTLY squirt a lot of water into the eye at a slight outward angle. You want to bath the eye and dilute the chemical--- not flush the contact lens into the eye socket.
 
NO CONTACT LENSES:With the tip of the water bottle a few inches from the eye to be treated, quickly squirt a strong stream of water into the eye at a slight outward angle. 
 Use a sweeping motion, starting at the inside corner of the eyeball and moving toward the outside. It is important to squeeze hard on the bottle.

Do not simply drizzle or gently squirt water into the eye – use a solid stream of water. The idea is to flush the contaminants out, not to dilute them.

Done correctly, this results in a quick flush with minimal amounts of water.

Flush eyes with a squirt-style sports water bottle. Tap water is fine, Normal Saline best. Bottles should squirt a reliable stream, decompress quickly after being squeezed, and should not drip when inverted.

---Quebec 2001 Medical---