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- Dec 13, 2004
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Here is a quote from "The Tarantula Keepers Guide" by Schultz and Schultz:
"Absolutely the worst consequences are obtained if the bristles make contact with a person's eyes. The resulting lesion causes servere damage to the cornea and other eye parts, and requires immediate attention from an opthalmologist (Chang et al, 1991; Hered et al. 1988). First-aid treatment is to restrain the patient to prevent rubbing the eye, then irrigating the eye with copious amounts of water. The patient should be taken immediately to an emergency clinic, then referred to an opthalmologist.
"Ordinarily the patient recovers completely after several months of treatment. Although there is seldom apparent, permanent damage to the eye, the condition is exceedingly painful, and there is the ever-present threat of permanent eye damage or infection. The people afflicted with this condition lose time from work or school and suffer much worry and stress not knowing if they will ever have full use of the eye again. Long-term treatment is also very expensive.
"Prevention is by far the best course to take and is adsurdly simple and easy. Don't touch your eyes or face after handling a tarantula, or any of the appointments in its cage, until you have washed your hands."
"Ordinarily the patient recovers completely after several months of treatment. Although there is seldom apparent, permanent damage to the eye, the condition is exceedingly painful, and there is the ever-present threat of permanent eye damage or infection. The people afflicted with this condition lose time from work or school and suffer much worry and stress not knowing if they will ever have full use of the eye again. Long-term treatment is also very expensive.
"Prevention is by far the best course to take and is adsurdly simple and easy. Don't touch your eyes or face after handling a tarantula, or any of the appointments in its cage, until you have washed your hands."