Paint in the Eye

Ask an Eye M.D. Answer Archive

Question:
I got paint in my eye—what should I do?

Answer:
Answering this question by email is a little bit like closing the barn door a week or two after the horse got out. Be that as it may, there are many kinds of paint and many kinds of chemicals in those paints. I think that most of them will not do any permanent harm to your eye. The first thing one should do when any chemical accidentally gets into an eye is to flush it thoroughly with water. This could take minutes or hours, depending on the chemical nature (pH) of the chemical.

After thoroughly flushing the eye(s), it would be wise to see your ophthalmologist (Eye M.D.) as soon as possible or go to the emergency room of a nearby hospital.

Answered by: Wayne Bizer, DO

Categories: Eye Injuries, General Eye Health

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