plaster in eye

cooperte · 6 May 2009

hello - it's my first post here. i've been plastering my ceiling today and got a big load of wet plaster in my eye. i've got most of it out now, but it's pretty sore. am i best just waiting for it to sort itself out or go get it cleaned out at hospital? what do you guys do?

i'll wear some goggles next time

JohnD · 6 May 2009

plaster is caustic

None of us can guess how bad or trivial it is.

You'd best go and get it looked at.

The sooner the better.

Or phone http://www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk/

trowelmonkey1 · 6 May 2009

yes, plaster is evil! get to A&E and get it washed out, don't mess with your eyes!

cooperte · 6 May 2009

thanks lads. i rang nhs direct and they contacted the poisons department and said to just wash it under water for 10 mins, not to scratch, and not to mess with it. but also to go to hospital if i get blurred vision or severe redness or pain. i'll see how it goes..

i think they're all up the wall with everyone thinking they've got swine flu. even the nhs direct number is overloaded.

JohnD · 6 May 2009

it is very hard to wash out your own eye effectively as the instinct is to close it.

For chemical washouts it is best done by 3 people - one to hold the eye open despite cas trying to close it, and squirt water in, and two to hold his arms down to prevent him fighting off the f/aider.

roy c · 6 May 2009

I happen to wear glasses and for work I use bigger ones and I could not remember the amount of times that they have stopped plaster and other things going in my eyes. Also wear a peaked cap when skimming ceilings, they will give you a bit of protection....

cooperte · 7 May 2009

thanks for the replies. it never cleared up and seemed to be getting worse, so i went to the local drop-in centre and they sent me on to the eye hospital. just got back now after 3 hours of treatment

they had dye in there and swabbed underneath my eyelids because the ph of my eye was too high.

big big lesson to me. will definitely wear goggles from now on whenever i'm working above my head, whether i'm plastering or anything else.

i recommend anyone that reads this to do the same. tell you now, that wasn't a very nice evening!

Alastairreid · 7 May 2009

so hows the ceiling cooperte?

cooperte · 7 May 2009

haha! it's turned out well surprisingly enough! i didn't get it all done, but i managed to flatten what i had done down and then polish it with one eye plastered shut. at the time i knew my eye'd get sorted one way or another, but there was no way i wanted to come back to a rougharse ceiling in the morning!

roughcaster · 7 May 2009

I'm the same as RoyC and wear glasses to work, and read with,, i even wear a baseball cap too,, but for anyone learning to plaster a ceiling,, a couple of little tips,,,,,, don't stand or work "directly" below the trowel while you're spreading,,, keep very slightly to one side,, and more importantly,,, "always" keep the back of your trowel clean", especially on ceilings. Anyway,,,, "Look,,, here's me wearing goggles

"

mmm,, they wouldn't do for me when plastering though,, it would be the same having to wear gloves,,, just don't feel the same.
I think every plasterer has had at least one eyeful of plaster one time or another, but you learn from that too.

Roughcaster.

brist · 7 May 2009

Yep had One in the eye in my early days ,not nice stings like hell.

noseall · 7 May 2009

Gypsum plaster is acidic and hurts like hell. The trick is not to rub. Get to fresh running water as quickly as poss and splash like fury.

After a while the acid usually neutralises and things calm down. The gritty feeling lasts for hours though.

As rough' has said, keep you head clear of the blade. There are times though, when avoiding the blade is difficult especially when working in a corner.

roughcaster · 7 May 2009

noseall said:
avoiding the blade is difficult especially when working in a corners

Click to expand...

It is Nose',,,, but there's another tip worth mentioning too,,,, as you will know,, that by holding the hawk underneath the trowel in any awkward overhead corner/tight spot, soffit etc, will greatly reduce the risk of an eyeful. It acts just like an umbrella, ella, ella.

Roughcaster.

shotgunmicky · 12 Jun 2009

cooperte said:
hello - it's my first post here. i've been plastering my ceiling today and got a big load of wet plaster in my eye. i've got most of it out now, but it's pretty sore. am i best just waiting for it to sort itself out or go get it cleaned out at hospital? what do you guys do?

i'll wear some goggles next time

u could try the stevie wonder method, plaster with ur eyes closed!

Micilin · 12 Jun 2009

noseall said:
Gypsum plaster is acidic and hurts like hell. The trick is not to rub. Get to fresh running water as quickly as poss and splash like fury.

After a while the acid usually neutralises and things calm down. The gritty feeling lasts for hours though.

As rough' has said, keep you head clear of the blade. There are times though, when avoiding the blade is difficult especially when working in a corner.

Good advice from all here as usual.

I wear safety glasses on ceilings.

Milk is best to wash out if possible, it's slightly acidic .

If you don't have eyewash, lid of a bottle is good.

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plaster in eye

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