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Home Medical and Vet Remedies, as Recommended by 19th and 20th century Doctors and Vets! |
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Home Medical and Vet Remedies, as Recommended by 19th and 20th century Doctors and Vets! |
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Foreign Bodies in the Eyes.It is constantly happening that small bodies, such as particles of wood, cinders, etc. are thrown violently against the mucous membrane of the eye by the wind. The first effect is to cause a copious secretion from the tear gland, accompanied by movements of the lids, whereby the particle may often be dislodged. In this case the patient experiences a sense of relief, though a certain amount of burning may be felt in the eye for some hours afterward. In other cases the particle lodges in the front of the eye, the cornea; or it is carried upward beneath the upper lid. Under these circumstances the patient almost invariably rubs the lids - a most objectionable practice, since it not only fails to afford relief to the pain, but also serves to force the particle more firmly into the tissue on which it rests, and thus renders its subsequent removal more difficult. The lids should be kept apart, and the eye moved around beneath them. In this way the particle is sometimes dislodged and comes into view If it can be seen, it can best be removed by moistening the corner of a soft handkerchief and applying it to the object. If the particle be loose, it will usually adhere to the handkerchief at once ; but no force should be employed to loosen it. In many cases the fragment can be distinctly seen imbedded in the cornea ; yet its removal can be effected only by a surgeon, provided with instruments for that purpose. In many instances the foreign particle lodges under the upper lid, near its margin. In this case it causes a constant rasping of the eye, and yet cannot be brought into view. It can sometimes be dislodged in the following way : The patient takes hold of the eyelashes of the upper lid and draws it away from the eye. He then pushes up the lower lid with the other hand, so that its lashes may sweep over the inner surface of the upper lid. Sometimes the particle will be found adhering to the lashes of the lower lid when they are brought down again. If this attempt fail, the loop of a fine hair pm may be passed gently upward behind the upper lid, which is meanwhile held away from the ball of the eye. Sometimes the particle can be dislodged in this way. This must be done with care, since otherwise the delicate surface of the eye may be damaged A certain way for dislodging particles from this location consists in turning the lid. This requires considerable skill and experience, and can rarely be properly done by a non-professional hand. In order to accomplish it, the patient is directed to " look down. " The lashes of the upper lid are grasped between the thumb and finger of one hand, and the lid is drawn gently downward and away from the eye. Meanwhile a hair pin knitting needle, or other object of similar shape, is placed upon the upper lid, just behind the gristly part, so as to make a hinge, around which the lid can be turned. By means of the eyelashes, which are still grasped between the thumb and finger of the other hand, the margin of the lid is drawn upward and then backward, so as to fold the lid back on itself. The hand may then be taken away, and the lid remains in this position. Any foreign body which may be present is at once detected, and may be removed by the corner of a soft handkerchief. The lid can be replaced by simply drawing the lashes outward and downward again, when it falls naturally into place. In every case in which a foreign body has been present in the eye, and has caused much irritation, there will remain for some time after its removal a feeling as if it were still present. This feeling is often so strong that the patient cannot be persuaded that the body has been removed, even though he may have seen portions of it. The irritation consequent uoon the presence of a foreign body may be allayed to a considerable extent by putting two or three drops of fresh sweet oil between the lids. If the body be not removed from the eye there will probably follow an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the eye - the conjunctiva. This is indicated by great sensitiveness to light, by redness of the eye and a feeling as if there were sand or gravel in the eye. The treatment of this affection will be given under an appropriate heading on a subsequent page. So long as the foreign body remains on the surface of the eye, that is, does not penetrate further than the mucous membrane which covers the globe, no serious impairment of sight is to be expected. But these are by no means the serious cases. For it often happens, especially among those who work in metals or stone, th?f particles of these hard substances will be driven with great force against the eye. In many cases these particles penetrate the front of the eye, especially if they strike the transparent front - the cornea. The injury inflicted depends upon the depth to which the par' ;cle penetrates. In some cases the force with which it strikes is so much diminished by its passage through the hard tissue of the cornea, that the particle penetrates no further, and drops into the watery liquid - the aqueo?4S humor-which lies between the cornea and the colored part of the eye, the iris. In this case it may occasion no further damage; perhaps a small, white speck will mark the point at which it penetrated the cornea. It may lie in this watery fluid for a long time without causing any interference with the functions of the eye ; or it may in a short time excite an inflammation of the iris, which is a serious affection. In any case the services of a surgeon should be at once procured, since the foreign body is a constant source of peril. In other cases the particle strikes the transparent body which fills up the pupil - the crystalline lens. So long as the lens is in its natural condition it is perfectly transparent and colorless, so that the pupil appears quite black. If, however, a particle of iron or stone penetrate into the substance of the lens, there will generally be seen after a few days a whitish speck somewhere in the ring of the pupil. This speck is due to a change in the lens, whereby it loses its transparency and becomes opaque. This change may extend so as to involve the entire lens, in which case the pupil appears white instead of black. The lens, being opaque, obstructs the entrance of light to the back part of the eye, so that the individual's sight is more or less impaired ; indeed he may become quite blind in this eye. Fortunately this condition is not necessarily permanent. The lens can be removed by an operation, so that the light will again penetrate to the back of the eye and sight will be restored. But the most serious of all these cases are those in which the foreign particle passes into the interior of the eye. This is especially dangerous if the fragment has entered the eye not through the cornea, but just outside of the rim of the cornea, in the white part of the eye. It often becomes necessary to remove such an eye from the body. The reason for this lies in the fact - which has been ascertained by long experience - that if the eye be permitted to remain, the foreign body being still in it, there may result an inflammation not only in the injured eye but also in the other one, and that such an inflammation is apt to result in loss of sight. Hence, at the very first signs of irritation in the injured eye, the surgeon advises and even insists upon its removal. It will not do to wait until the eye has become inflamed, for then it is usually too late to save the other eye, even if the injured one be removed. It is important that non-professional people should understand the gravity of the situation. It seems to most people quite unnecessary and harsh to remove an eye which does not seem much affected, and many a man has acted upon this idea, has refused to permit the removal of the injured eye, and has lost the sight of both eyes in consequence. Another class of injuries is those in which chemicals, such as acids and alkalies, or quicklime, come in contact with the eye. In every such case the assistance of an eye surgeon should be obtained immediately. Until he arrives the friends may wash the eye thoroughly with cold water, remove any particles that can be seen, drop a little sweet oil into the eye, and then apply a cloth, such as a soft handkerchief, which has been saturated with cold water. No injury nor accident to the eye should be allowed to go without the advice of a surgeon ; for, owing to the delicate structure of the organ and the importance of vision, there is often no propor tion between the apparent injury and the actual damage inflicted. An injury which may seem to the uninitiated quite trivial may actually involve most serious consequences for the patient's prospects in life. People generally are accustomed to measure the gravity of an injury by the amount of blood which flows and of visible damage to the tissues ; but this rule does not apply at all to injuries affecting the eye. Sight may be seriously impaired also by injuries inflicted in a playful way. A case is recorded in which the sight was lost through a trick which is exceedingly common. A man was sitting in a chair, when another came in behind him, and clasping both hands over his eyes, told him to guess who it was. The person struggled to free himself, the other tightened his grasp, and in the struggle the eyes were permanently blinded by the fingers of the other individual. The eyes, like other organs in the body, are affected by diseases which impair the general condition. An individual who is suffering from some exhausting disease is apt to have some impairment of sight, or at any rate, be unable to use his eyes to the extent which is customary with him. There are also some diseases which produce not only the general failure in the power of the eyes, but also changes which are peculiar to the disease in question. Thus one form of inflammation of the kidney, known as " Bright's disease," is accompanied by serious changes in the nervous tissue of the eye, the retina, which result in a decided impairment of vision. Indeed, it has often happened that ' patients who were actually suffering from Bright's disease, though having no suspicion of it, have consulted an eye surgeon to ascertain the cause of the impairment of sight, and have been surprised to learn from him that the disease in the eye was merely a part and symptom of the disease of the kidney. An affection of the spinal cord already described, called locomotor ataxia, is also frequently accompanied by disease of the eye, with or without serious impairment of sight. There has been considerable dispute as to whether tobacco smoking is injurious to the eyes. There can be no doubt that the smoke is irritating to the mucous membrane of the eyes ; but it has been asserted, and is now pretty generally believed among eye surgeons, that excessive smoking causes a disease of the retina call atrophy, whereby the sight is seriously impaired. Yet it must be admitted that, notwithstanding the increase in the prevalence of this habit of smoking during the last half century, there scarcely seems reason for believing that the affection which is supposed to be caused by smoking has increased to a corresponding degree. The same assertion has been made as to the relation between the use of alcoholic beverages and the loss of sight. It has been maintained that the excessive use of liquors results in atrophy of the retina and impairment of vision. Yet the grounds for this assertion are by no means so strong as for the belief that tobacco can cause the disease. But first, if you want to come back to this web site again, just add it to your bookmarks or favorites now! Then you'll find it easy! Also, please consider sharing our helpful website with your online friends.
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