Eye burn

The burn of an eye is the injury of front department of an eye which resulted from excessive temperature, chemical or beam influence approximately. Most often the thermal burn the burning particles, chemical and a burn welding meets. At burns of an eye the conjunctiva and skin a century, then a cornea, slezootvodyashchy ways and deeper structures of an eye suffers first of all, up to its back departments.

Eye burn degrees

Distinguish four degrees of a burn of an eye.

• First degree. Skin is edematous, hyperemic a century, the conjunctiva is hyperemic, damage only of an upper layer of a cornea – hypostasis of an epithelial layer or its erosion.
• Second degree. Bubbles on skin a century, on a mucous membrane whitish sites of the died-off fabric, a cornea muddy. Several blankets of a cornea, to an average are damaged.
• Third degree. Deep damage of skin a century, there are no bubbles, on site damages a dry dark scab, a conjunctiva is damaged and has a grayish-yellowish shade, the cornea is damaged to deep layers, loses transparency and becomes opaque (a symptom of opaque glass).
• Fourth degree. Necrosis of all fabrics of a century and conjunctiva. The cornea is destroyed on depth of all layers and takes a characteristic porcelain form. At fourth-degree burns perhaps final fracture of a cornea, and defeat is deeper than the lying structures of an eye – a vitreous, a crystalline lens, etc.

Thermal burn of an eye

The burn of an eye is followed by sharp pain, dacryagogue, a chemosis and fabrics of a century. Sight decreases too, but it is not possible to define extent of its decrease in an acute phase as stirs dacryagogue. At burns of the third and fourth degree of dacryagogue can not be because of damage of the lacrimal ways.

Burn of eyes welding

The medical name of a burn of eyes welding – an electroophthalmia. A disturbing factor in this case is intensive ultraviolet radiation. The similar burn happens at climbers at the bright sunlight reflected from snow or at the health workers who are present at quartz treatment. Natural, solar ultraviolet radiation, passing through an ozone layer of the atmosphere, loses a rigid part of a radiation spectrum, and does not make the damaging impact, except for mountain conditions where the layer of the atmosphere is less.

The leading symptom of a burn of eyes welding and similar burns is the megalgia in eyes at absence or weak manifestation of symptoms of a burn. Symptoms accrue for 8 hours. There is dacryagogue, a photophobia, spots before eyes, a nictitating spasm. The conjunctiva is edematous and hyperemic, the cornea is not damaged.

The burn of eyes welding causes reversible changes which take place within several days. There is no long-term effect left, as a rule.

Corrosive burn of an eye

The corrosive burn of an eye can occur at influence of acid or alkali. The corrosive burn of an eye acid has the action similar to a temperature burn of eyes. Depth of damage of an eye depends on concentration and time of influence of acid. In the place of influence the cornea is surprised, there is a site of a necrosis. Because of an intensive slezootdeleniye acid is carried on all eye, however, in a little diluted concentration. The necrosis proceeds as coagulative, necrotic fabrics are delimited from healthy.

The corrosive burn of eyes alkali proceeds much more hard. Alkali causes a kollikvatsionny necrosis at which proteins are not coagulated, and are dissolved, and defeat extends both in breadth, and deep into. At the same time impact of alkali on nerves damages them, and intensity of pain is much less, than at a corrosive burn acid. As a result depth and weight of defeat of a corrosive burn of an eye alkali do not correspond to weak pain reaction that can mislead and lead to underestimation of weight of a burn. Besides, influence of alkali in deep fabrics from where it it is difficult to remove, can continue much longer, than acid which is delimited by koagulirovanny fabrics. The corrosive burn of an eye alkali can increase, getting more and more deeply, and striking all new and new fabrics, for several days after removal of the injuring agent.

First aid at burns of eyes

First aid at burns of eyes consists in as much as possible bystry removal of the damaging substance. If the burning particle, despite a spasm got into an eye, it is necessary to try to open an eye and to take it. First aid at burns of eyes by the chemical agent, acid or alkali, consists in immediate and plentiful washing of eyes water. Before arrival of ambulance it is possible to give anesthetic.

Treatment of a burn of an eye

Treatment of a burn of an eye is performed in ophthalmologic department of hospital. Antiinflammatory therapy, and also the means promoting an angenesis is applied.

At the third and fourth damage rate surgical treatment of a burn of eyes during which devitalized fabrics are removed is necessary. Burns of an eye of the first and second degree, as a rule, do not lead to sight loss. Burns of an eye of the third degree, depending on the area of a burn, can lead to loss or decrease in sight that demands operation on a keratoplasty. At fourth-degree burns, as a rule, there is a sight loss, and difficult, komleksny and step-by-step surgical treatment of a burn of eyes and postburn hems is necessary for partial recovery of sight when at least deep structures of an eye are kept.