Mass eye casualties at sea

During a "crossing the line ceremony" conducted aboard ship while returning from an extended deployment, 40 active duty sailors inadvertently received eye injuries from a chemical agent. The agent was suspected to be Magic Shave, a chemical depilatory powder containing calcium hydroxide as the active ingredient. Therefore, the resulting corneal burns were alkali in nature. Twenty of the 40 patients required admission to sick bay for 1 to 2 days. The remaining patients were followed on an outpatient basis. All patients were treated with irrigation of the affected eyes and most required patching for at least several days. No permanent eye disabilities resulted. The emergency treatment of chemical eye injuries is reviewed.