Foreign bodies in the eye.

'I think I have got something in my eye.' This statement is one of the most common that patients make in any A & E department. For the nurse at triage, it is the beginning of an investigation that should establish a number of important historical facts: 1. How painful is the eye? 2. Is this foreign body of a high or low velocity? 3. What is the foreign body: dust, wood, metal, glass? 4. Was the patient wearing spectacles or contact lenses? 5. Has there been any alteration in the patients vision/sensitivity to light? Establishing these important historical facts will help the nurse determine the likelihood of this injury being a minor or major problem.