A client comes into the emergency room after a chemical splashed into her eye at work. The priority nursing intervention is to

  1. cover the eye with a sterile cloth.
  2. determine what chemical splashed into the eye.
  3. irrigate the eye with normal saline solution.
  4. test vision in the affected eye.
Number 3 is correct.
Rationale: The priority nursing intervention is to flush the eye with normal saline for at least 10 minutes. After or during the irrigation, the nurse would address the chemical that was splashed into the eye and would potentially cover the eye with a sterile cloth. After treatment, vision testing would be appropriate.