5 Of The Most Common Eye Injuries & How To Treat Each One

Eye scratches, foreign particles in your eye, chemical burns and bleeding of the eye are all common eye injuries that require unique treatment in order to properly heal. 

They say your eyes are the windows to your soul; your eyes also allow you to see and process the world, hence why eye injuries of any kind can be rather scary.

No matter what type of eye injury you incur you should NEVER:

-Touch, rub or apply pressure to your eye.

-Try to remove any objects that are stuck inside of your eye.

-Use any ointment or medication on the eye without first consulting a doctor.

Here Are 5 Common Eye Injuries And How To Treat Each One

1. Your Eye Is Scratched (Corneal Abrasion)

If you are poked in the eye or rub your eye with sand or something trapped inside you could experience an abrasion on the corneal, better known as a scratched eye. Even wearing old contacts with a small tear can lead to a scratched eye.

It is incredibly uncomfortable to have a cut on your eyeball, and as a result you will experience redness and light sensitivity. It typically feels like you have something big and rough trapped in your eye. Other symptoms include headaches, blurry or decreased vision, twitching of the eye, nausea, and a dull ache and/or tearing up.

Visit Urgent Medical Center immediately after your eye is scratched. For more serious abrasions you may need to visit the emergency room. Do not rinse out your eye prior to visiting a doctor.

It is so important to get proper medical attention as fast as possible because bacteria or fungus can attack a cut eye in as little as 24-hours. Worst-case scenario, blindness may result. Your risk for infection or blindness increases if whatever poked or scratched your eye was dirty.

With proper treatment, most corneal abrasions heal fairly quickly and leave behind no lasting damage. On the other hand, if the injury is left untreated, it can lead to a corneal ulcer and even complete loss of vision.

2. Your Eye Has A Foreign Particle In It

If something gets trapped inside of your eye you should first try to lift the upper eyelid over your lashes on your lower lid. Blink a few times and see if your natural tears flush it out. If the particle is still trapped in your eye, keep the eye shut and seek medical treatment right away. Whatever you do, do NOT rub at your eye.

3. You Have Chemical Burn In Your Eye(s)

Certain chemicals may burn your eyes but leave behind no real lasting damage. For instance, it sounds terrifying to get acid in your eye, and it will cause extreme redness and burning, but it can be easily washed out. Other chemicals are more serious if they get inside of your eyes and require immediate medical attention. Substances that contain alkali (toilet bowl cleaners, chalk dust or oven cleaners) may not burn as much initially but are actually more serious than acid.

After a chemical gets in your eye, hold your eye under luke warm water and rinse it out for about 15 minutes. Even if you plan to go to urgent care or the ER, you should wash your eye out first to remove as much of the substance as possible. If your eye remains extremely red, blurry or painful, visit Urgent Medical Center, your eye doctor or the ER right away.

It might be tempting to do so, but don’t rub at your eye. Instead, place a cool, moist compress or ice pack over your eye.

4. Your Eyes Are Bleeding (Subconjunctival Hemorrhages)

If your eyes are leaking blood you may feel like a vampire, but thankfully this type of eye injury tends to look worse than it usually is. A subconjunctival hemorrhage occurs when one or more blood vessels break, these blood vessels are located between the whites of your eye and the clear covering over it. Even minor eye injuries can cause this to occur; in fact it can happen without any noticeable injury occurring.

You do not need medical treatment for subconjunctival hemorrhage. It will heal itself without causing any vision issues. Within a few weeks, at most, your eye should return to its normal appearance.

5. Your Eye Is Swollen

Eyes swell up for a number of reasons. If you’re unsure why your eyes are swelling up you need to get medical treatment right away. In most cases, eyes swell up because of direct impact. The best way to treat this type of injury is to apply a cold ice pack over the damaged eye. If you notice any bruising around the eye, visit a doctor to ensure you have not suffered internal damage.

Do NOT apply any pressure to the wound. Even a slight blow to your eye can cause serious damage that’ll worsen under additional pressure.

Treating Eye Injuries At Urgent Medical Center

Immediately following any eye injury you should contact a doctor and seek medical treatment if necessary. If an object is stuck penetrating your eye, you have lost your vision or your eye has been knocked out of its socket, go to the Emergency Room right away. For minor to moderate eye injuries, visit Urgent Medical Center for fast, friendly and affordable treatment.