"Eye damage"--what does that actually mean?

Question

For any acid, perhaps acetic acid or even vinegar, when people talk of the danger of getting the stuff into your eyes, what is it that would actually happen if you didn't "flush immediately with water"? What part of the eye would it damage, and how? Specifics would be appreciated!

Thanks!

Answer 1

you could get cornea burn or scaring which both could lead to loss of sight

Answer 2

Eye damage in acid burn cases is mainly concerned with the damage of vision, which otherwise means mainly damage to the Cornea, the window through which we see the entire world.

Thus acid burns damage the cornea depending on the concentration of the acid and the duration of its presence on the cornea. The cornea has got about 6 layers, among which except the superficial epithelium all the deeper tissues leave behind a permanent scar on the cornea which depending on the depth and intensity are classified as nebulae (mild white scars)or leucoma( thick white opacity).

Thus if the acid burns at its initial stage of affecting the epithelium is neutralized by washing with water its effect will not reach the deeper tissues of the cornea there by preserving the vision.

For the stages of nebulae and leucoma which cause partial or total blindness the treatment is only keratoplasty, provided the other parts of the eye are not damaged.

Hence all the acid burns should be flushed immediately with water!

Answer 3

The cornea is the part of eye that you see behind the eyelid. Acid or irritants act to dissolve this tissue, depending on how long it is allowed to remain in contact and also on how concentrated the irritant is.

Damage to eye tissue most often results in some degree of loss of vision.