What to Do with an Eye Scratch
Depending on the cause, an eye scratch could leave minor to major impacts. Whatever the reason is, or the injury type is, you must not ignore an eye scratch. You must take proper steps for treating it to prevent infections. Consult an eye doctor to get the right treatment. Continue reading to know more about eye scratch.
Rinse Eyes if You Have Eye Scratches
You may unconsciously rub your eyes after a minor scratch, but you must avoid it. Instead, you must rinse your eyes gently. It will help you to wash tiny foreign substances that may have entered your eyes and prevent further infection. Pour a glass with saline solution or clean water. This solution can remove the foreign subject that has scratched your eyes.
How It Happens
There are different reasons that cause eye scratches. Physical injuries, contact lenses, using eye makeup application in the eyelids, false eyelashes, spending time in a dusty area can cause eye scratches and infection.
Complications
Medically, eye scratch is known as a corneal abrasion. When it is not treated well, it can cause more severe issues corneal ulcers, recurrent erosion syndrome, traumatic iritis or bacterial keratitis.
Reduced Risk
You can avoid the primary reasons for eye scratches. The most effective steps to avoid eye scratches are avoiding contact lenses in your sleep, touching eyes frequently and most importantly, wear eye protectors during injury-prone tasks and in a dusty environment.
What to Do
When you are treating your eye scratches, make sure to use eye drops or ointments as told by your doctor to reduce the infection risks and for fast healing. Do not strain your eyes by looking at a computer or mobile screen for a long time.
Healing Time
Minor scratches heal on their own within a very little time. But serious scratches take good time to heal. An eye doctor can help you in speedy recovery.
Common Symptoms
You can find redness, blood spots in your eyes among other symptoms. Other may include light sensitivity, pain, headache, blurred vision, irritation etc.
Scratch on the eye surface can also have symptoms like swollen eyes, big pupils and excess tears.
Here Are a Few Things to Consider -
Call your doctor - Before trying to treat the conditions on your own, you must contact your doctor.
Blink – Apart from rinsing eyes, blinking eyes is an easy way to remove small particles from the eyes like dust or sand.
Pull Upper Eyelid – You can pull the upper eyelid over the lower eyelids. The lower eyelid lashes can remove foreign objects underneath the upper eyelid.
Sunglass – A scratched eye is light sensitive; a sunglass will help you to reduce the symptoms.
Eye scratch is a mild case typically. If it goes wrong, you should see an eye doctor in OKC at Korber Eyecare.
**Disclaimer: The above post should not substitute medical advice nor does it create a patient-doctor relationship.