How are chemical burns diagnosed?

How are chemical burns diagnosed?

Your healthcare provider can usually diagnose chemical burns on your skin by examining the size, depth and other characteristics of the burn. They may also use other tests to diagnose burns on your skin or in your eyes or from swallowing a chemical, including:

• Blood tests: Swallowing chemicals can affect how your organs work. You can also absorb chemicals in your body through your skin or eye burns. Your healthcare provider may do a complete blood count (CBC) and other lab tests to check your kidney, liver, lung and metabolic function for any type of chemical burn.
• Endoscopy: If you swallow a chemical, you may need an endoscopic evaluation. During an upper endoscopy, your healthcare provider uses a thin, flexible tube with a video camera on one end (endoscope). They guide the tube into your mouth and down your esophagus. Pictures of your throat, esophagus and stomach appear on a video monitor. They can check for burn damaged tissue.
• Eye exam: An ophthalmologist or optometrist (eye care specialist) examines chemical burns to your eyes. They’ll likely flush your eyes out with water. Then, they’ll check for signs of vision loss and examine the depth of the burn. They may also put a special dye into your eye to look for areas of damaged tissue.
• Imaging: Imaging exams help identify damage inside of your body from swallowing a chemical, especially perforations in your esophagus or stomach. You might receive a chest X-ray or CT (computed tomography) scan, which can help spot internal tissue damage.