-Ocular Chemical Burns“Chemical burns to the eye are among
the most urgent of ocular
emergencies…
Copious irrigation is the most
important emergency treatment of the
chemically-burned eye…
This procedure probably has more of
an influence on the outcome of the
injury than any other therapeutic
approach.”
The Morgan Lens®
The World’s Leading Method of Ocular Irrigation
• Effective, easy to use ocular
irrigation
• Frees medical personnel to
treat other injuries
• Developed by a practicing
ophthalmologist
• Used in 95% of U.S. emergency
departments
Uses of the Morgan Lens
•
•
•
•
•
•
Alkali Burns
Acid Burns
Thermal Burns
Irritants (gasoline, detergents, etc.)
Non-embedded Foreign Bodies
Foreign Body Sensation With No Visible Foreign
Body
• Routine Pre-Operative
• Eyelid Surgery
• Severe Infection
Alkali Burns (Bases)
• Most Serious of all Ocular Burns
• Penetrate Rapidly, increasing pH of anterior
chamber
• Can cause severe damage to collagen, nerve
endings, keratocytes, iris, and ciliary body
• Loss of corneal epithelium leads to increased
risk of infection
• Common Sources That Contain Alkali:
–
–
–
–
Lye (in drain cleaners)
Lime (in plaster, cement)
Ammonia (in fertilizers, cleaning agents)
Motor vehicle airbags
Acid Burns
• Immediately denature proteins
– opacifies cornea and slows deep penetration
• Eye initially may look worse than alkali burn
although damage often is not as severe
•
Common Acids:
hydrofluoric
hydrochloric
sulfuric
nitric
sulfurous
acetic
• Most Common:
– Industrial accidents and automobile battery
explosions
• Hydrofluoric Acid Burns-very serious
– Penetrate quickly and act like alkali burns
Irritants
• Cause more discomfort than actual
damage
• Common Irritants:
– Gasoline
– Pepper Spray
– Household Detergents
Irritants are substances with a neutral pH
Materials Necessary for Irrigation
with The Morgan Lens
• 2 Morgan Lenses
Note: Pain in one eye may mask pain in other--irrigate both unless
injury is known to be limited to one eye.
• Morgan Lens Delivery Set® (or I.V. set)
• Suitable Irrigation Solution (lactated Ringer’s
recommended)
• Medi-Duct® (or towels) to absorb outflow
• Topical ocular anesthetic if available
• pH paper
INSERTION
Step One:
• Instill topical ocular
anesthetic (if available)
• Attach Morgan Lens to
Morgan Lens Delivery Set
or syringe or I.V. tubing
*If possible, remove contact lenses (if necessary) BEFORE starting irrigation. Irrigate
over contacts if unable to remove. Removal may be easier after a period of irrigation.
INSERTION
Step Two:
Start Minimal Flow
BEFORE* Inserting Lens
• Have patient look down
• Insert Lens under upper lid
• Have patient look up, retract
lower lid, drop Lens in place
*Solution acts as a cushion, suspending the Lens above the cornea and protecting
injured surfaces from the eyelids.
INSERTION
Step Three:
• Secure a fluid collection
device such as the MediDuct to the side of
patient’s face
• Continue irrigation until pH
of eye returns to normal
DO NOT RUN DRY
Tape tubing to patient’s forehead to prevent accidental removal
REMOVAL
• Continue flow
• Have patient look up
• Retract and hold lower lid
• Slide Morgan Lens out
TERMINATE FLOW
Irrigation Times
•For Irritants:
-20 to 30 minutes minimum
•For Acids and Alkalis:
-Irrigate with 2 liters fluid per eye
-Wait 5-10 minutes
-Measure pH of cul-de-sac
-Repeat until pH is between 7.5 and 8
For strong acids or any alkali, continue irrigation for 2
hours after reaching surface pH of 8 to ensure
neutralization of anterior chamber
Questions for Patients
Do NOT delay irrigation to take patient history*
• When did injury occur?
• What substance was involved?
• Is the patient on any medication or allergic to any
medications?
• Was the patient wearing safety glasses when injury
occurred?
• Are there any other injuries?
• Did patient receive any prior treatment?
From Nursing 2000, Volume 30, Number 8
*Removal of contact lenses (when necessary) before starting irrigation
should be done ONLY IF IT DOES DELAY irrigation—removal may be easier
after a period of irrigation.
Contraindications
•
•
•
•
Protruding foreign body
Penetrating eye injury
Suspected or actual rupture of the globe
Instilling anesthetic agents with known
allergies
Lactated Ringer’s
vs. Normal Saline
MorTan recommends the use of lactated Ringer’s
• pH more like that of tears
– pH of tears:
– pH of lactated Ringer’s:
– pH of Normal Saline:
approximately 7.1
6.0 to 7.5
4.5 to 7.0
• High buffering capacity
– lactated Ringer’s solution returns pH to neutral more quickly
with either acidic or basic contaminants*
• Increased patient tolerance
Normal Saline may cause discomfort and/or morphological
changes*
*from independent studies
Suggestions for the
“Difficult Patient”
Reassure patient: insertion will quickly relieve pain.
Any delay will cause further damage.
Seconds count!
•Irrigating solution provides soothing sensation
•Injured cornea is separated from “squeegee” action of eyelids
•Eye may be closed during procedure
•Some chemicals generate heat when mixed with water-irrigation
cools
•Note: Cornea will not be touched by Morgan Lens
Topical anesthetic may relieve anxiety
Note: Additional anesthetic may be instilled without removing
Lens. Pinch tubing and instill drop into cul-de-sac.
Benefits of the Morgan Lens
• 100% of irrigating solution is delivered
directly to cornea, cul-de-sac and
conjunctiva
• Frees medical staff to attend to other
injuries
• Patient can be ambulatory during irrigation
• Patient rests comfortably
• Highly cost effective
Summary
• Burns are among the most urgent of ocular
emergencies
• Copious irrigation must be started quickly (at
scene of accident if possible)
• All surfaces of eye (cornea, sclera, cul-de-sac,
and inner eyelid) must be flushed thoroughly
• Irrigation should be continued until pH of eye
returns to normal (alkali burns may require
hours of irrigation; severe infections may
require irrigation for hours or even days)*
*See MORGAN LENS USES CHART available on MorTan’s website or from MorTan
The Morgan Lens
The World’s Leader in Ocular Irrigation
To order or for more information contact:
MorTan, Inc.
P.O. Box 8719
Missoula, MT 59807 USA
Phone: (406) 728-2522
1-800-423-8659
Fax:
(406) 728-9332
www.morganlens.com
© 2011 MorTan, Inc.
email: mortan@morganlens.com
MorTan is an ISO 9001/13485 registered company
Do not duplicate or modify without permission from MorTan, Inc.