Nobody ever plans to intentionally catch something in their eye. Whether it’s a bug, a finger, debris from a carpentry project or an object someone else threw at you thinking you were looking; we’ve all encountered potential situations placing our eyes at risk.
A corneal abrasion is often the result of trauma to the open eye. Usually individuals with such trauma arrive at their optometrist with some or all of the following symptoms: pain, light sensitivity, watery eyes, foreign body sensation, inability to open the affected eye, blurry vision and a history of contact lens wear or being struck in the eye.
It’s important to get medical attention promptly to rule out an eye penetrating injury or the development of an eye infection. Your optometrist is highly trained to diagnose, manage and treat corneal abrasions.
More than likely, your optometrist will apply a numbing agent and yellow dye to the front surface of your eye to evaluate the extent of injury and use that information to come up with a detailed treatment plan. Sometimes an embedded foreign body causing the abrasion needs to be removed.
Some treatment options include:
· A bandage contact lens
· Antibiotic eye drops
· Combination antibiotic/steroid eye drops
· A dilating eye drop to help reduce eye pain
· Over-the-counter analgesics (ex. ibuprofen)
So keep in mind that no matter what kind of trauma you experience, trauma to the eye always has the potential to be ‘more than a poke.’ Consult your optometrist for evaluation any time you are concerned with your vision or the health of your eyes.
By Dr. Nicholas Reid
Eye Doctor | Morehead City
Doctors Vision Center