Lily Miller Are you aware of what to do if you scratch your eye? Scratching your eye can be simple because it’s possible to poke it accidentally, have something blow into it, or have it get stuck under your eyelid. You might have a corneal abrasion if, after several minutes of closing your eyes, the pain does not go away and the burning sensation persists.
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What is a Corneal Abrasion?
The cornea, which is your eye’s clear outer layer of protection, aids in focusing light into your eye. A corneal abrasion occurs when the cornea is scratched or scraped. Corneal abrasions are common eye injuries and should always be examined by your eye doctor to prevent infection and ensure proper healing.
A fingernail, a makeup brush, sand, dirt, a pet’s claw, or a small piece of debris are a few examples of objects that can cause trauma. Simply put, a corneal abrasion can be caused by anything that comes into contact with the surface of your eye. The majority of cases don’t result from traumatic injuries but rather from rubbing a tiny piece of dust, dirt, sand, or metal into your eye. If you frequently experience dry eye, your eyelids may even adhere to your cornea in the morning, which could result in a scratch.
Things That Can Cause Scratched Eyes
Getting dirt or any other foreign object in your eye, poking your eyes, rubbing them too vigorously, wearing dirty contact lenses, or any of these things can result in eye scratches. Sports involving contact and working on construction sites are common activities that result in eye scratches.
SIGNS & SYMPTOMS
Your cornea is a sensitive part of your body, even if there is a small abrasion it can be extremely painful as though you have a large object stuck on your eyes.
Common symptoms of corneal abrasion may include:
- Decreased vision
- Eye twitching
- Gritty sensation in the eyes
- Headache
- Redness
- Sensitivity to light
- Significant pain or discomfort
- Tearing
- Watery eyes
How to Treat a Scratched Eye?
- Blink rapidly to cause your eye to water and flush debris
- Gently pull your upper eyelid over your lower lid to cause watering of the eye to remove the particle
- To remove any foreign objects, rinse your eye with sterile saline. In a pinch, you can use an eyecup, a bottle of pharmacy saline, or even a clean drinking glass in place of an eye wash station, which is ideal.
To avoid making the situation worse:
- If you believe there may be something in your eye, flush it instead of rubbing it.
- If the debris is too large for you to close your eye, don’t try to remove it.
- Never put tissues, cotton swabs, or any other absorptive material directly on the eye.
- Never try to remove debris using tweezers or any other tools.
The severity of the injury and what caused it will determine the course of treatment for a corneal abrasion. In order to keep the eye moist while it heals naturally from superficial abrasions, lubricating drops are frequently prescribed. As a precaution, antibacterial eye drops are occasionally used to treat these abrasions. Superficial abrasions usually heal in 2-3 days. A week or longer may be needed for the full recovery of more serious corneal abrasions, which frequently call for antibiotic creams and/or steroids.
Consult your eye doctor as soon as possible if you believe you may have scratched your cornea.
When to See a Doctor
However, it’s still a good idea to visit your eye doctor so they can evaluate the scratch since most eye scratches will heal on their own in a few days.
Your eye doctor may inject fluorescein into your eye to highlight the scratch when viewed with a slit lamp. By using this dye, they can assess the severity of the injury and provide the best care for you.
