Synonyms
Definition
Exposure to acid or alkali whose severity of damage and ease of treatment are related to chemical toxicity, time of contact, depth of penetration, and area of involvement.
Acidic burns have a pH <7.4 and precipitate protein which acts as a potential barrier to deeper penetration and tissue destruction (Singh et al. 2013). Alkali burns have a pH >7.4 which causes saponification within cells of the ocular structure. An inflammatory response causes deeper tissue damage and limbal ischemia (Singh et al. 2013).
Etiology
Most acidic injuries are from household items, while alkali injuries in households and industry (Singh et al. 2013).
Clinical Presentation
The type of agent, toxicity of the agent, mechanism of injury, duration of contact, depth, and area of involvement should be collected. Use of protective eyewear should be carefully documented. Elevations in IOP should prompt immediate treatment (Wagoner 1997).
Clinical course is divided into immediate,...
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References
Clare G et al (2012) Amniotic membrane transplantation for acute ocular burns. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 9:CD009379
Dua HS, King AJ, Joseph A (2001) A new classification of ocular surface burns. Br J Ophthalmol 85(11):1379–1383
Gupta N, Kalaivani M, Tandon R (2011) Comparison of prognostic value of Roper Hall and Dua classification systems in acute ocular burns. Br J Ophthalmol 95(2):194–198
Singh P et al (2013) Ocular chemical injuries and their management. Oman J Ophthalmol 6(2):83–86
Wagoner MD (1997) Chemical injuries of the eye: current concepts in pathophysiology and therapy. Surv Ophthalmol 41(4):275–313
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Ross, A.G. (2018). Chemical Injury (Burns). In: Schmidt-Erfurth, U., Kohnen, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Ophthalmology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69000-9_764
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69000-9_764
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