Reviewed by Sonia Kelley, OD, MS on September 26, 2024
If you were to check in the laundry room or under a sink of almost any home in America, the chances of finding some bleach are pretty high. Whether its purpose is to get the bathtub sparkling clean or to get your white clothing extra white, bleach is a common household item.
The power that makes bleach so popular is the same power that makes it dangerous — particularly if you get it in your eyes.
If you’re reading this because you or someone you know has gotten bleach in their eyes, take the following steps immediately:
- Avoid rubbing your eyes.
- Wash your hands.
- Begin rinsing your eyes with water or saline solution (more detailed instructions on that below).
Otherwise, read on to learn what steps to take if you ever do get bleach in your eye and what you can do to minimize its effects.
Symptoms of Bleach in Eyes
If you get bleach in your eyes, you may experience one or more of the following symptoms or reactions:
- Pain or burning sensation
- Redness
- Eye watering
- Eyelid twitching
- Foreign body sensation (feeling like something is in your eye)
- Blurred vision
- Light sensitivity
- Swelling
- Difficulty keeping the eye open
Try to avoid rubbing your eyes in response to these symptoms, even though doing so may be your initial reaction. Rubbing your eyes after getting bleach in them could cause additional damage.
What to Do If You Get Bleach in Your Eye
The best way to limit the impact of a chemical eye injury is to act fast. The longer you wait to start flushing your eyes, the more time the bleach has to damage the nerves and tissues in and around your eyes.
This type of damage can lead to permanent vision loss, and acting quickly is critical. Bleach can begin damaging your eyes within 1 to 5 minutes of exposure, so the time it takes to start flushing your eyes can make a huge difference.
Follow the steps below to rinse bleach out of your eyes:
- Wash your hands thoroughly – If you have bleach in your eyes, you may also have some on your hands. Washing your hands before doing anything else ensures you won’t introduce more bleach to the affected area. If you have contacts in, do not try to take them out before flushing your eyes.
- Flush your eyes – Rinse your eyes using lukewarm water or a saline solution to dilute the bleach. Keep your eyes open as long as possible while rinsing, and regularly move them around to make sure all areas of each eye’s surface have been flushed.
- After a few minutes of eye washing, remove your contact lenses – If your contacts are still in your eyes after flushing them with water for several minutes, you should now try to remove the lenses. Taking out your contacts can help prevent additional irritation.
- Keep rinsing – Continue flushing your eyes for 15 to 30 minutes. While this may sound like a long time to pour water into and over your eyes, doing so will help restore their natural pH level.
After you’ve thoroughly flushed your eyes, have someone drive you to your eye doctor’s office or an emergency room to have your eyes evaluated. If you don’t have someone to drive you and you suspect that you have a severe injury, call an ambulance.
Ways to Rinse Bleach from Your Eyes
There are a few methods you can use to flush bleach out of your eyes. Choose whichever option is the fastest and easiest for you to access:
- Submerge your face in a large bowl filled with lukewarm water – Keep your eyes open while submerged. Roll your eyes and blink frequently to ensure complete coverage.
- Stand in the shower while water pours over your face and into your eyes – Do not stare directly into the water stream. Rather, let the water hit your forehead and roll down into your eyes.
- Lean your head under a faucet while water runs into your eyes – If you can’t fit your head beneath the faucet, you can also fill a pitcher with water and pour it over your face while you lean over the sink.
- Sit or lie down in the bathtub and pour water over the bridge of your nose – This will allow the water to stream gently into your eyes. You can also have someone do this for you if they’re available.
Though it may be uncomfortable, it’s important to keep your eyes wide open while flushing the bleach out of them. Use your fingers to hold your eyes open during the process if you need to.
How Long Does Bleach in the Eye Last?
It’s possible for bleach to continue penetrating your eyes for hours after they’ve been exposed. As an alkaline chemical, bleach can cause some of the worst chemical damage to the eyes. If no measures are immediately taken to flush it from the eyes, the bleach will damage nerves and tissues within the eye area and may lead to permanent vision loss.
The duration of your symptoms depends on several factors. Consider:
- How much bleach got into your eyes?
- How concentrated (or diluted) was the bleach?
- How much time passed from when the bleach got into your eyes to when you began flushing it out of your eyes?
When to See a Doctor
After you’ve flushed your eyes with water or saline solution for 15 to 30 minutes, it’s very important that you also seek emergency medical attention. Just be sure to rinse the bleach from your eyes before you go anywhere. Flushing your eyes is the top priority and should be done immediately after exposure.
When you see an eye doctor, they’ll test the pH level within your eyes to see whether the level has returned to normal. For reference, the natural pH level of the eyes is usually 7.0 to 7.3, and the pH level of bleach is between 11 and 13.
If the test shows the pH level of your eyes is still higher than it should be, the doctor will continue to flush your eyes until they return to a normal level. The amount of damage done by the bleach will determine the next steps for treatment.
Getting bleach in your eyes can be painful and scary. However, acting fast and following the recommended rinsing instructions can help minimize damage and reduce your risk of permanent vision loss.
