Ocular chemical injuries and their management

• Published in: Oman journal of ophthalmology Vol. 6; no. 2; pp. 83 - 86
• Main Authors: Singh, Parul, Tyagi, Manoj, Kumar, Yogesh, Gupta, K, Sharma, P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: India Medknow Publications 01-05-2013; Medknow Publications and Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt. Ltd; Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd; Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
• Subjects: Acid; alkali; Burns, Chemical; Care and treatment; chemical burns; Classification; Collagen; Enzymes; Eye; Health aspects; Injuries; injury; Ischemia; ocular; Patients; Review; Risk factors; Stem cells; treatment; Oman; chemical burns; eye; treatment; Acid; alkali; injury; ocular
• ISSN: 0974-620X; 0974-7842
• DOI: 10.4103/0974-620X.116624

Chemical burns represent potentially blinding ocular injuries and constitute a true ocular emergency requiring immediate assessment and initiation of treatment. The majority of victims are young and exposure occurs at home, work place and in association with criminal assaults. Alkali injuries occur more frequently than acid injuries. Chemical injuries of the eye produce extensive damage to the ocular surface epithelium, cornea, anterior segment and limbal stem cells resulting in permanent unilateral or bilateral visual impairment. Emergency management if appropriate may be single most important factor in determining visual outcome. This article reviews the emergency management and newer techniques to improve the prognosis of patients with chemical injuries.