Health Podcast Library

Knock Knock Eye: What Should You Do If You’re Pepper Sprayed At A Protest?

Feb 5, 2026
32:24

Episode Description

This episode is a tough one. I start by talking about the killing of Alex Preti and Renee Good in Minneapolis and why it’s been sitting so heavily with me as a physician, a parent, and a human being trying to make sense of what’s happening in this country.

Then I focus on something concrete I can do: explain what pepper spray and tear gas actually do to your eyes and how to protect yourself if you’re exposed. From corneal abrasions to scarring and vision loss, I walk through what ophthalmologists see after chemical exposure and what actually helps in the moment.

It’s a heavy episode, but it’s also a practical one, focused on safety, science, and how we take care of each other when things feel out of control.


Takeaways:

  • What pepper spray actually does to the cornea and why most people recover, but some don’t.

  • Why oil-based chemicals change how you should wash your eyes after exposure.

  • The safest way to irrigate your eyes in the real world when saline and medical tools aren’t available.

  • Why putting milk, yogurt, or random substances in your eyes can make things worse, not better.

  • The emerging, conflicting data on GLP-1 medications, higher risk for ischemic optic neuropathy, but a lower risk of dry macular degeneration and why medicine lives in the gray.

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