Introduction
Good eye health and visual acuity are essential to provide a quality life to you and your family. Impaired vision can keep you away from the activities that make your life worthy of living. Trauma from an accident can cause lifetime of vision loss. Take good care of your eyes. Take suitable precautions while driving to protect your eyes from any trauma or injury.
Reason For Eye Injuries During Vehicular Accidents
An accident can cause an eye injury in several ways. Some of them are:
Eye injury due to striking of any object, such as dust particle or any metal object. It may occur if you had not worn a helmet with safety glasses while driving.
The explosion of an airbag during a collision
Blunt trauma due to striking of face on the steering wheel.
A piece of broken glass of windscreen entering the eyes.
Traumatic head injury may result in damage to the brain and optic nerve. The optic nerve damage may cause loss of vision.
Common Eye Injuries Due To Accidents
Various types of injuries may occur during an accident. Some of them are:
Lacerations and abrasion on eye surface: During a violent vehicle collision, a tiny particle of dust, debris, glass or any other object can enter the eyes. It causes severe pain and discomfort. If a large particle enters the eye during an accident, it results in corneal lacerations and abrasions. These conditions require urgent treatment to avoid partial or permanent vision loss.
Orbital Fracture: It is a result of blunt trauma in the region of the face and ocular region. It occurs when the head strikes on an object with more diameter than the width of the orbital outlet, such as car steering. The treatment of such injury depends upon the force of impact and the severity of the injury. Your doctor may advise you to undergo a comprehensive ocular examination to determine the extent of the damage.
Chemical burns: When the eyes are exposed to any chemical (gas, liquid or solid), it may lead to chemical eye burn. The severity of the chemical burn depends on the amount and type of chemical substance. The symptoms of chemical burns are eye redness, pain, irritation, swelling and blurry vision.
Retinal detachment: Most of the vehicles have airbags for safety purposes. It plays as a valuable lifesaver during accidents. However, the explosion of an airbag can also cause damage to the retina of the victim’s eye. The airbag explodes with a violent force. Sometimes the airbag burst force is so severe that there is a loss of connectivity between the retina and the entire eye leading to retinal detachment. It requires emergency surgery to prevent vision loss.
Damage to the optic nerve: The optic nerve is a connection between the eye and the brain. The fluid that surrounds the nerve creates high pressure after the accident. The high pressure because of trauma leads to optic nerve concussion injury leading to optic nerve damage. It can cause visual distortion, blindness and severe vision impairment, even after the proper treatment.
Optic neuropathy due to trauma: It is a condition of indirect acute nerve injury resulting in vision loss. It occurs due to the penetration of bony fragments into the optic nerve. The symptoms of optic neuropathy are blurry vision and colour vision loss and sometimes partial or complete vision loss.
Hyphema: Injuries due to an accident can cause bleeding of an eye between the cornea and iris. This condition is called hyphema. It is a medical emergency, and the patients experience light sensitivity, blurry vision and pain.
Vitreous haemorrhage: A clear jelly-like substance present in the centre of the eyeball is vitreous. The bleeding can be caused due to head injury or eye injury resulting in rupture of blood vessels in the retina of the eye and blood in the vitreous cavity.
Black eye: The trauma causes discolouration beneath the skin of the eyes. It occurs when the blood vessel or capillaries under the skin rupture and blood leaks into the surrounding tissue.
How To Prevent Eye Injuries While Traveling In A Car?
The experts say that over 90% of eye injuries can be prevented by following certain precautions. The leading cause of sight-threatening eye injuries is small flying objects such as bits of metal, stone or glass and windblown particles such as sand dust. You can protect yourself from these dangers with close-fitting protective eyewear to keep objects from striking into your eyes. You can choose safety glasses that include lenses made of impact-resistant material such as polycarbonate. Wearing a seat belt is essential to prevent any head injury.
Conclusion
An accident occurs in a blink of an eye. However, precautions and quick actions in an emergency can protect you and your family from severe injuries. It is required to seek immediate medical attention after an accident. Delay in management of eye injuries due to accident may result in permanent loss of vision.
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