I'm not an arborist but more of a handyman. Doing elderly neighbour a favour, using pole saw to cut a branch touching her guttering. Despite knowing better, I didn't look up tree species or wear goggles. Got some sawdust in my eyes and glue-like white sap all over my hands. Then did some work at another site then washed hands clean and dropped daughter at soccer. Then pulled over and called ambulance.

Eyes felt like they were on fire and I could hardly see. While waiting, in desperate pain I had neighbour take photo of cutting and sent it to son who identified it as 'pencil cactus' AKA 'fire stick' - extremely toxic. Causes temporary blindness. Pain so bad I thought I was going to vomit. Kicking ground to try and releve pain. Saying "Oh god" over and over.

000 kept asking if I had had contact with chemicals - presumably toxins from trees not thought to be serious in and of themselves. Was put through to triage nurse who finally, because of my pleading put me back to 000 and told them to send an ambulance. Accidentally hung up and called back. 000 line quality is bad and operator has trouble heqring callers.

I had a 2L coke bottle full of water in the car and I used this to try and wash my eyes.

Ambulance took about 30mins. I begged for updates on ETA 4 times. The second operator seemed to understand my situation and stayed on line with me reassuring me they were coming.

In emergency I had two nurses each irrigating an eye with saline (saline helps much more than water) and an there was an 'eye specialist doctor' consulting. He was a youbg registrar.

For pain I was given a number of Morphine 'whistles' then Fentanyl and a cocktail of antibiotic, anti nausea etc via catheter on back of hand. Later I was given scripts for Endone and eyedrops. A mate arrived to drive me to late night chemist and home. Mate says I was atruggling to talk.

Wife is away so friends took kids overnight. It was a tough night even with endone, paracetamol and ibuprofin.

Now (next afternoon) I'm at an eye clinic at hospital - I waited 4 hours to see another eye registrar. One eye is much better but other is painful in places but better than yesterday. She says she has seem fire stick issues before. Says it is morebof a capsicum type substance rather than an acid or base type injury. I think I have some unusual discharge or type of inflammation that two doctors discussed between themselves.

To look further at my eyes I have been given drops to dilate the pupils and will be seen again in 30mins.

I believe I will recover fully.

Link to species on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Euphorbia_tirucalli

I will post a picture of an offcut in a comment.

Please be careful my arborist friends.