What should be done if blood enters your eye during a procedure?

When blood enters your eye during a procedure, the immediate and appropriate response is to flush the eye with water and seek follow-up care. Flushing the eye helps to remove any foreign substance and dilute any contaminants, which is crucial for minimizing the risk of infection or other potential complications. It’s important to remove the blood from the eye to ensure that it does not obstruct vision and to help prevent irritation or injury to the ocular surface.

Seeking follow-up care is also vital. Health professionals can assess for possible damage to the eye and provide appropriate treatment if necessary. This response addresses both the immediate concern of contamination and the longer-term health of the eye.

While reporting the incident is important, it is secondary to the immediate action of flushing the eye to mitigate potential harm. Ignoring the situation or applying an eye patch may lead to more serious consequences, as these actions do not address the contamination directly or manage the risk of infection effectively.