Eye Safety

Eye Damage is Irreversible

1. To prevent problems always wear goggles and work with a partner. If chemicals get in the eye they should immediately be diluted with large amounts of warm flowing water for at least 15 minutes.

2. See a nurse or doctor soon after the chemical is washed out of the eye. Practice before an accident occurs.

3. Contact lenses can be a problem in the lab because volatile chemicals can be absorbed by the lens that may damage the eye. In addition, chemicals splashed into the eye will be concentrated by the lens to the pupil area where the greatest damage to vision can occur. This occurs because of capillary action. Eye flushing must be done after removal of the lens to clean the area of the pupil.

4. A problem that may occur is suction of the lens to the eye makes removal of the lens difficult and if the person becomes unconscious someone else will have to remove the lens. The best idea is to remove contact lenses before putting on goggles or not doing that experiment.

Demonstration:

1. Overhead projector

2. 1 sheet of clear acetate film from an art or office supply store

3. permanent marker

4. water

5. dark food coloring mix

6. eyedropper.

7. Using the marker draw an eyeball and eyelashes on the acetate. Cut out a contact lens from the unused part of the acetate and cover the colored portion of the eye (iris and pupil). Using the eyedropper put a few drops of colored water on the edge of the contact lens. Observe the capillary action of solution being drawn under the lens.

Goggles

It is always wise to wear chemical splash goggles when heat, glassware, dusts and chemicals are being used and especially when cleaning up. I have seen what looked like perfectly good glassware (no chips or cracks) shatter when water was being heated in both testubes and a beaker.

Demonstration:

Put an egg into concentrated H₂SO₄ and observe the results. Battery acid is concentrated enough. The egg is a cell that is chemically similar to your eye.

Refer to Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS)for each chemical being used to determine the precautions needed.

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