Treatment of hydrofluoric acid exposure to the eye

Abstract

AIM: To review the current evidence of the treatment of hydrofluoric acid (HF) exposure to the human cornea. METHODS: A comprehensive manual search of the literature was conducted through the Ovid interface to assess the mechanism and efficacy of each irrigator through a variety of clinical cases and experimental studies. RESULTS: Ocular exposure to HF is extremely damaging to the eye and swift recognition and decontamination with an appropriate agent forms the basis of treatment. Although there are various decontamination solutions that have efficacy against the corrosive action of HF, irrigation with Hexafluorine proved to be the most safe and effective treatment for the eye. CONCLUSION: In conclusion emergency departments could benefit from the availability of Hexafluorine for the treatment of HF ocular burns in patients.

Keywords

• hydrofluoric acid
• cornea
• ocular
• injury
• injury