How to Wash Eyes with Water

Eyewash procedures aren’t just necessary for high-risk places like chemical labs. Families who use cleaning products often or have young children also need to learn eyewash techniques to remove harmful substances. Even in non-emergency situations, rinsing eyes with water can soothe tired eyes by increasing moisture and circulation to the eyes. ^{[1] X Research Sources} In addition, medical professionals recommend eyewash in other cases. Learn how to use an eyewash solution to apply in situations that may arise later.

Table of Contents

Prepare before washing

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Determine if you need urgent medical care. Some chemicals can cause burns or other damage, so check the label on the chemical packaging to see how to wash your eyes. Contact your hospital’s emergency room to learn what to do when certain chemicals get in your eyes.

Get emergency medical care for symptoms such as nausea or vomiting, headache or delirium, double or impaired vision, dizziness or unconsciousness, rash or fever.
If you have a case that washing your eyes does not work, you should go to the hospital immediately for treatment. Have someone else drive you to the hospital if you can’t do it on your own.

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Determine how long to wash the eyes. Rinsing time depends on the type of substance in contact with the eye, meaning the range varies widely, but you should never rinse for too long once your eyes have been exposed to a harmful substance. With caution when deciding when to wash your eyes, you should wash: ^{[2] X Research Source}

5 minutes for mild irritants like hand soap or shampoo
20 minutes or so for a moderate to strong irritant, such as hot peppers
20 minutes for mildly corrosive substances such as some acids, e.g. battery acid ^{[3] X Research Source}
60 min minimum for strong corrosives, including household alkalis such as drain cleaners, bleach and ammonia solutions ^{[4] X Source of Study}

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Keep eyewash solution at home. Commercial eyewash solutions are sterile and have a balanced pH of 7. ^{[5] X Source of study} This means that using an eyewash solution is always better than plain water.

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Use sterile water. If a commercial eyewash solution is not available, you can use sterile water. Tap water still contains harmful ingredients that cause more eye irritation.

You can also use bottled water.
Milk has the ability to soothe the feeling of heat caused by foods, such as chili peppers. However, you should still use a sterile solution to wash your eyes afterwards. If using milk, make sure it hasn’t gone bad; Otherwise, bacteria will enter the eye.

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Make sure the solution is at the right temperature. Pay special attention when using bottled water or milk, remember not to use them immediately after taking them out of the refrigerator. Regardless of the type of rinse selected, the eyewash solution should have a temperature between 15.6–37.8°C. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

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Choose the method of using an eyewash solution. You must know how to safely and hygienically put water or rinsing solution into your eyes. There are several items in your home that you can use, such as bowls, cups, or eyedrops. Regardless of the medium used, you must wash it thoroughly with soap and water, and allow it to dry before adding water or a sterile solution.

The bowl is the best choice whether you want to wash harmful substances, foreign objects or simply wash away eye strain. The bowl should be large enough that you can dip your whole face in it.
If you’re using a small cup, it should fit around the edge of your eye socket, like a wine glass. However, the small cup is only used to wash harmful substances or prevent eye strain, cannot wash foreign objects.
Avoid using eye drops in most cases, as it only treats dry and tired eyes.

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Do not delay rinsing off chemicals. As discussed, time is sometimes a very important factor, especially when the eyes are acidic or alkaline. How to wash off the chemical as quickly as possible is more important than finding a sterile solution, making sure the temperature is right and so forth. If your eyes have come into contact with a caustic substance, simply run away. wash without hesitation.

The damage is greater the longer you leave your eyes in contact with corrosive/acidic substances, so the goal is to rinse quickly.

Wash your eyes in a bowl

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Find a bowl. Injecting eyewash with a bowl is the main method used when eyes are exposed to harmful substances or small foreign objects fall in, and is also an ideal way to wash tired eyes every day. The bowl should be completely clean and large enough that you can dip your whole face in it.

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Pour the washing solution into the bowl. Regardless of commercial washing solution or filtered water, the appropriate temperature is around 15.6–37.8°C. ^{[7] X Source of Research} Do not fill the bowl with the full solution, as it will come out when you dip your face in it.

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Dip face in bowl. Take a deep breath and dip your entire face into the bowl so that the solution is over your eyes, but don’t dip too deep; otherwise, the solution will flow into the nose.

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Open and roll your eyes. You need to expose the entire surface of your eye to the water. Rolling your eyes in circles makes it easier for water to get into your eyes and wash away harmful substances or dirt. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

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Raise your head and blink. Blinking a few times helps the water to cover the entire surface of the eye more evenly.

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Repeat if necessary. To treat dry and tired eyes, simply dip your face in water 1-2 times until your eyes are tired. To actually wash your eyes from harmful substances, you must follow the instructions in Method 1 for how long to rinse.

Again, don’t wash your eyes for too long. If your eyes come into contact with an irritant, especially a chemical, you may want to rinse for longer than the recommended time.

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Dry the surface with a clean towel. Do not wipe directly into the eyes, but only dry eyelids while closed with a dry towel.

Wash your eyes in a cup

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Do not use this method if a foreign body enters the eye. This method is most suitable only for washing tired eyes. If eyes are exposed to harmful substances, rinsing with a bowl is the ideal method. Consult an ophthalmologist before using this remedy for conditions other than rinsing tired eyes. ^{[9] X Trusted Source PubMed Central Go to Source}

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Pour the rinsing solution into a small, clean beaker, preferably about the same diameter as the eye socket. A good example is a well-washed wine glass.

Commercial eyewash or sterile water should have a temperature of about 15.6–37.8°C. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Place the matching cup in the eye. Bend your head towards the cup so that the edge of the cup fits into the eye socket.

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Tilt your head back. While holding the cup pressed against the eye socket, tilt your head back so that the eye and the bottom of the cup are both facing up, so the solution will come into direct contact with the eyes.

Surely the solution will spill a little. You should lean over the sink while rinsing your eyes so the solution doesn’t run down your face and get on your clothes. If you are concerned about this, you can wrap a towel around your neck to keep yourself dry.

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Look around and blink. When you roll your eyes in a circle and blink several times, the solution will more evenly cover the entire surface of the eye, helping to moisturize and remove harmful substances. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Repeat if necessary. Then you lower your head to remove the cup without spilling the solution on your body. Just one wash is enough to treat dry and tired eyes, but if you want to wash away harmful substances, you should do it again.

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Dry the surface with a clean towel. Do not wipe directly into the eyes, but only dry eyelids while closed with a dry towel.

Wash with eye drops

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Do not use this method if a foreign body enters the eye. It is best applied only to wash tired eyes or wash eyes for young children when they do not know how to wash by other methods. If eyes are exposed to harmful substances, rinsing with a bowl is the ideal method.

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Draw the rinsing solution into the eye dropper. Dip the tip of the tube into the solution or rinse, then squeeze and release the stem to draw the water in.

You can use sterile plastic syringes that don’t have a sharp tip or don’t have a needle attached.

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Put a few drops of the solution in the eye. Tilt your head back, bring the dropper over the open eye and squeeze the tube gently to release a few drops.

Do not let the tip of the tube touch your eyes or eyelashes.

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Blink several times. In order for the solution to evenly cover your eyes, you must blink several times. Try to blink so that the solution flows into your eyes instead of gathering and running down your cheeks.

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Repeat if necessary. Just a few drops are enough to treat dry and tired eyes, but if you want to really wash away harmful substances, you have to repeat many times.

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Use towels. For young children, an alternative method is to dip a clean washcloth in the solution and gently dab it on their closed eyelids. You just need to dab with light force to let the solution flow on the eyelids and eyelashes, then when the baby blinks, the solution will overflow on its own.

Repeat if necessary, but do not dip the same towel in the solution to ensure hygiene, use a different portion of dry towel or use a new towel instead.

Make your own eyewash solution

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Boil water. Note, commercial eyewash is always better than homemade. No matter how careful you are, there is a risk of unintentionally irritating your eyes or potentially causing a serious infection . ^{[12] X Source of Research} There have been cases of homemade saline and amoeba infections, so this is a risky choice. However, if you understand the risks but still want to make an eyewash at home, there are a few steps you can take to make sure it’s as clean and safe as possible. First, boil a kettle of water to kill off bacteria and microorganisms, maintain the water at a full boil for at least a minute, and then let it cool before using. ^{[13] X Research Source}

It is better to use sterile purified water instead of regular tap water. Tap water contains more bacteria and additives than sterile water.
If you don’t want to make an eyewash, you can always use tap water. However, understand that tap water can be more irritating and potentially contain more bacteria, etc… ^{[14] X Research Source}

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Add salt to the water. Add a teaspoon of table salt to each cup of water while the water is boiling. The closer the salinity of the solution is to the salinity of tears, the less shocked the eye will be when exposed to the solution. The salinity of tears varies depending on whether they are emotional tears (pain, sadness, etc.) or simply lubricants during operation, but in general this salinity is usually less than 1% according to salt mass.

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Stir in salt. Make sure the salt added is completely dissolved in the water. Since the water is boiling and the salt is quite small, it won’t take long to stir until the salt is completely dissolved. Stir until you can no longer see grains of salt at the bottom of the kettle.

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Let the solution cool. Never use hot eyewash, or you will cause serious eye damage or even blindness. Turn off the heat and let the water cool down to room temperature, then pour the brine into another container that has been thoroughly washed with soap and sterile water. When the solution temperature is at room temperature (or lower) you can use it.

Close the lid tightly while waiting to cool so new bacteria can’t get in.
Your eyes will be more comfortable when the solution is kept cool, but do not cool the saline below 15.6°C. ^{[15] X Research Source} Water colder than this temperature can cause eye pain and even mild injury.
No matter how well you store the brine, it should be discarded after 1-2 days. New bacteria can enter the solution after the water stops boiling.

Eyewash in emergency

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Identify accidents that require immediate eyewash. In some cases where your eyes come into contact with a serious irritant or harmful substance, you don’t need to bother with a sterile rinsing solution. Instead, you must focus on washing thoroughly and quickly and then going to the hospital for help. If you accidentally get chemicals in your eyes, such as acids, alkalis or corrosives, immediately stop what you are doing and flush your eyes with water.

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If you live in the US, call the Poison Control Center at (800) 222-1222 for advice. They will instruct you to wash your eyes or seek prompt medical care based on the type of chemical that got into your eyes. ^{[16] X Research Source}

For example, some chemicals react violently with water, like most alkali metals. They easily figure out the right steps to guide you.
If they direct you to call 911 and ask for an eye wash while you wait, you can have someone else call 911 while you focus on washing your eyes. The quicker you get to the hospital, the more likely you are to prevent serious damage or blindness.

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Use an eyewash. Most areas where the risk of chemical splashes in the eyes is anticipated are equipped with an eyewash, which is specifically designed for this situation. ^{[17] X Research Source} Quickly go to the sink and press the lever (highly marked and easily accessible), bring your face in front of the faucet and the water will spray out at low pressure. Open your eyes as wide as possible. You should use your finger to draw wide eyes.

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Rinse eyes for 15 minutes. Water can hardly neutralize any chemicals, but it can dilute and wash away chemicals, so you must wash your eyes with plenty of water. The minimum amount of water to be sprayed into the eyes is 1.5 liters/minute for 15 minutes. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

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Rinse with tap water if an eyewash is not available. If you can’t find an eyewash right away, rush to the nearest sink. Tap water isn’t really good for washing your eyes because it’s not as sterile as lab water, but rinsing off chemicals is far more important than worrying about infection. ^{[19] X Research Source} Flush as much as possible, at least 15-20 minutes. ^{[20] X Research Source}

If your sink has an adjustable faucet, point the faucet directly at your eyes and turn on the water with gentle, warm pressure, while opening your eyes wide with your fingers.

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Find medical care. If the Poison Control Center directs you to see a doctor after rinsing your eyes, you must go to the hospital for immediate care.

Advice

Change the wash solution for each eye to avoid passing bacteria back and forth.
Some drugstores sell eyewash kits that include an eye-sized cup and a sterile rinsing solution.

Warning

Do not use too much salt. Solutions that are too salty can rupture some cells, causing discomfort or pain.
Do not use water that is too hot or too cold.
Follow all safety procedures when working with chemicals, including wearing eye protection. Safety measures cannot guarantee 100% injury avoidance, but the risk is greatly reduced.

Things you need

Large bowl
The cup fits the eye socket
Eye dropper
Eye wash solution
The water is a bit warm
Towels or tissues

Steps