JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska -- During the last quarter of 2017, more than 15 known cases of the four most common and treatable eye injuries were documented at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Hospital.
The Optometry Clinic is encouraging individuals to be aware of preventive measures in addition to post-injury care.
“There is a lot that can go into an eye injury and in most cases they are avoidable if people are equipped with the knowledge of how to prevent injuries or give immediate care once an injury occurs,” said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Melissa Simmons, 673d Aerospace Medicine Squadron Optometry Flight commander. “The most common injuries we see are cornea abrasions, chemical injuries, blunt trauma and foreign bodies in the eye.”
Eye injuries account for 10 percent of all emergency room visits and are different than most types of bodily wounds. Often, damage is not visible and may not present until hours or days later. In many cases, permanent vision loss can be avoided if people seek immediate care.
Because people have different sensitivities to pain, knowing what to do in the immediate aftermath of an injury is key to lowering the amount of damage done, Simmons said.
The Optometry Clinic is a primary-care clinic, so routine eye appointments take up a majority of office hours. For this reason, patients with an acute eye injury or pain that persists more than two hours can receive critical diagnostic testing and reduce delay in care by going to the ER.
“Things as simple as jewelry, fingernails, pets and tree branches can cause corneal abrasions and be the culprit behind permanent vision loss,” Simmons said. “A smaller abrasion can merely need an ointment, whereas a large abrasion may require a bandage contact lens over the cornea.”
If an injury has occurred from chemicals such as household cleaners, weed killers or misuse of contact lens solutions, it is imperative the patient do an immediate eye flush with water if available, Simmons said.
“I tell all of our patients not to wear their contact lenses to bed,” said Senior Airman Katherine Bant, a 673d AMS optometry technician. “When a patient takes risks with their eyes like this, it can lead to corneal ulcers or worse, blindness.”
Although other injuries such as blunt trauma to the eye can be painful, individuals should seek immediate attention if there is double vision which could indicate the fracture of a bone around the eye. Other symptoms to be concerned about include a loss of peripheral vision, which could indicate a vision-threatening retinal detachment; light sensitivity, which could indicate an abrasion or inflammation inside the eye; or pain on eye movement.
“I have seen everything from Nerf darts and whiffle ball hits cause permanent vision loss,” Simmons said. “These patients delayed getting care because they dismissed the injury due to the simplicity of the event that caused it. Sometimes swelling can happen three days later, causing retinal bleeding and possibly detachment.”
Furthermore, an ocular foreign body – a small piece of metal, plastic or glass imbedded in the surface of the eye or stuck under the eyelid–would be another cause for seeking immediate attention if the suspected foreign body cannot be flushed from the eye or if eye pain accompanied by light sensitivity persists.
The high numbers of eye injuries have been mostly due to not wearing proper eye protection when playing sports, as well as purely accidental events. With this apparent trend, the Optometry Clinic is recommending a few preventive measures, Simmons said.
Some preventive measures include; wearing personal protective equipment such as goggles, safety glasses or face shields when working with chemicals, grinding metal, welding, and when engaging in sports activities.
In deployed environments, always wear ballistic protective eyewear as directed by leadership. Know where the nearest eyewash station is located as well as proper handling techniques for chemicals.
For contact lens wearers, do not over-wear contact lenses, and follow lens care instructions from an eye doctor.
It is recommended to see an eye doctor regularly – every two years for glasses wearers, every year for contact lens wearers and at least every three years for everyone else.
“Although we have seen a spike in the numbers of eye injuries at JBER, we are happy to report none of the cases involved military members while on duty,” Simmons said. “Our hope is to raise awareness of preventable causes and let individuals know the type of care available to them.”
For more information or to schedule an appointment, call the JBER Hospital Optometry Clinic at 580-0276.