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Ocular Chemical Burns

Jonathan C. Tsui, MD, Vincent Huang, MD and Clare W Teng, MD Reviewed 04/2024
 


BASICS

DESCRIPTION

  • Chemical exposure to the eye can result in rapid, devastating, and permanent damage and is one of the true emergencies in ophthalmology.

    • Alkali burns: more severe. Alkaline compounds ...

DIAGNOSIS

HISTORY

  • Patient presents with pain, photophobia, blurred vision, and foreign body sensation.

  • Ask about chemical involved, temperature, volume, timing and duration of exposure, velocity of impa...

TREATMENT

Immediate copious irrigation and removal of corneal or conjunctival foreign bodies are always the initial treatment and paramount to minimizing long-term sequelae (1,2,3)[A]: 
  • Passively open...

ONGOING CARE

FOLLOW-UP RECOMMENDATIONS

Patient Monitoring

  • Ranges from daily to weekly visits initially depending on severity of ocular injury

  • May need to be admitted if non-compliant or pediatric patient

  • ...

REFERENCES

1
Sharma  N, Kaur  M, Agarwal  T, et al. Treatment of acute ocular chemical burns. Surv Ophthalmol.  2018;63(2):214–235. [View Abstract on OvidMedline] ...

SEE ALSO

Burns 

CODES

ICD10

  • T26.50XA Corrosion of unsp eyelid and periocular area, init encntr

  • T26.60XA Corrosion of cornea and conjunctival sac, unsp eye, init

  • S05.00XA Inj conjunctiva and corneal abrasion w/o fb, unsp...

CLINICAL PEARLS

  • Prompt irrigation of all chemical burns, with any available nontoxic fluid such as water, as soon as possible (prior to arrival in the emergency department), is essential to ensure the...

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