Contents
The main purpose of jet washing of the conjunctival cavity is to rid the patient of purulent conjunctivitis, foreign bodies and burns. First of all, this technique is used for burns of the conjunctival cavity.
None of us is immune from chemical eye damage, since in everyday life we are used to using various detergents, which include alkaline and acidic reagents.
In order to get a chemical burn, just a few drops are enough. If this happens to you, then you should immediately seek help from an ophthalmologist. So that the specialist can understand the extent of the tragedy, it is better to take the remedy that got into the conjunctival cavity. Thus, the doctor will be able to determine the provocative substance and prescribe the appropriate drug.
Also, doctors often use jet washing to disinfect the conjunctival cavity. After that, you need to check the intraocular pressure.
Before flushing, it is necessary to remove all solid particles that are in the cavity. Removal is carried out by a mechanical technique.
In the washing process, an undine or a pear is involved, which are pre-filled with an aqueous solution. To prepare a treatment solution, potassium permanganate, ethacridine lactate, oxycyanate, or saline are needed.
When is it necessary to carry out jet washing of the conjunctival cavity?
We have already said above that the main goal of this procedure is to save the patient from chemical and thermal burns. Such indications are quite serious. If you do not provide timely assistance to the patient, then he may completely or partially lose his sight.
Burns vary in severity and depth of injury. Also, each burn has its own nature of occurrence (exposure to high temperatures, smoke, acids, alkalis).
How to understand that there was a burn of the conjunctival cavity? As a rule, in the first hours on the superficial ocular structure, signs may be completely absent.
In rare cases, a person may experience:
- tearing;
- redness of the surface shell;
- painful perception of bright light;
- spasm of the upper eyelids;
- loss of visual acuity.
If medical care is not provided within two or three days, then complications from the cornea may begin, namely, its perforation. In this case, a person can completely lose sight of the affected eye. In medicine, this process is called the death of the eye.
How is the procedure?
As we used to think, ophthalmologists perform general eye treatment. But there are also local procedures, for example, jet washing of the conjunctival cavity. Local therapy is often carried out with special medicinal drops, they are dripped onto the affected areas.
Let’s take a closer look at how ophthalmologists flush the conjunctival cavity. The patient should take a supine position, if this is not possible, then he should sit with his head thrown back. The ophthalmologist takes a medical pipette in his right hand so that the glass tip is between the index and middle fingers, and the pipette itself is between the thumb and forefinger. This is the most convenient way to fix the pipette in your hands. The left hand is already working directly with the eye.
In the right hand, the doctor takes a cotton swab, previously moistened with a disinfectant solution, and with it pushes the lower eyelid. At this time, the patient should look up. The doctor sharply pressing the pipette tip releases one or two drops of the drug. It is strictly forbidden to turn the pipette upside down, it must always be at an inclination of 45 degrees. The procedure should be carried out in such a way that the pipette does not touch the eyelashes, this will irritate the patient and he will start blinking. In turn, this will significantly complicate the washing process. It is impossible to drip more than two drops into the conjunctival cavity, since more will not fit in the conjunctival sac. If a medicinal solution remains in the pipette, then it is absolutely impossible to pour it back into the vial.
If the patient has minor mechanical damage to the conjunctival cavity and the doctor decides to simply flush it with saline, then the procedure looks a little different.
The doctor collects a full pipette of saline and slowly pours it into the conjunctival cavity. Thus, saline will go outside and thereby wash the eye. During this procedure, it is better to turn the eyelid, so it will also be washed.
After washing, ophthalmologists often put a healing ointment into the conjunctival cavity to relieve inflammation and irritation of the mucous membrane. Using a special spatula, the ointment is applied to the lower fornix of the eye. After that, the patient should close the eye. At this time, the doctor massages the closed eyeball so that the ointment is distributed throughout the mucous membrane. To prepare the ointment, experts use sterile petroleum jelly and lanolin.
You can wash the conjunctival cavity at home. Fill the pipette with clean water, move the lower eyelid and squeeze out the contents of the pipette with gentle movements. Then close your eyes for a few minutes.
If suddenly you notice that your vision is deteriorating, there are pains in the area of the affected eye, the upper and lower eyelids swell, the skin around the eyes turns red, then you need to urgently seek help from a specialist. Otherwise, you may lose your sight. In a hospital environment, the doctor will flush with antibacterial drugs and apply a sterile dressing.
If the patient has a serious injury to the eye, then it must be sent to a special ophthalmological institution. Here, specialists will carry out primary surgical treatment and provide the entire scope of ophthalmic care.
Remember that any injury to the eye must be treated urgently. In advanced cases, serious irreversible consequences can begin, including loss of vision.