Our eyes take up a relatively small portion of our bodies. While they are small targets, they are the unlucky victims of injuries from time to time.
There are quite a few ways that eyes can get hurt. In many situations, basic first aid will be all you need. In more severe cases, you will need professional medical attention.
Different injuries require different care. Some techniques are intuitive and others go against what you might expect. Read on to learn what to do and not do in specific situations.
Blunt Force Eye Injuries
Blunt force injuries are some of the most common eye injuries. They are caused by an object hitting the surface of your eye or surrounding skin at a fast speed. These injuries might break the skin, but the object doesn’t enter the body.
Blunt force injuries can happen as an accident or on purpose. Think sports incidents, kid’s wrestling, a fist fight, or tripping and hitting your face on something.
In most situations, basic first aid is all you need for these injuries.
First Aid Treatment for Blunt Force Eye Injuries
The first step in any eye injury is accessing the situation and deciding if medical attention is needed immediately. Any lasting changes to vision, new double vision, new flashing lights/floaters in vision or persistent pain merit further investigation by a doctor. In the absence of these red flags, it is reasonable to manage minor injuries at home.
Ice is one of the best treatments for blunt force eye injuries. If you don’t have an ice pack, you can use ice cubes or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a towel on the wound. Do not use raw meat. It isn’t sanitary and can cause an infection. Ice packs can be used for 15-20 minutes at a time every hour.
It is important to not apply pressure directly to the eye. If bleeding, dab at the area with clean towels and lay gauze loosely on the wound.
Gently clean the area with warm water if there is any debris or dried blood.
Rest and an ice pack every few hours are all most blunt force injuries will need.
A Note on Black Eyes
Not all blunt-force injuries will result in a black eye, but many will. 24-48 hours after the injury, the swelling will start to go down. When this happens, you can apply a warm compress for 20 minutes a few times a day. This will help with circulation and healing.
When to Seek Medical Assistance for Blunt Force Eye Injury
It can be easy to shrug an eye injury off. While basic first aid and rest will heal many blunt-force eye injuries, some will need medical help.
If you have any vision problems, severe pain, or a headache that won’t go away you need to see a medical professional.
Other problematic symptoms include: blood under the clear part of your eye, the injured eye not moving as well as it did before the injury, dilated pupils, pupils that are different sizes, or an eye that is sticking out of its socket or seems misaligned.
Experiencing any of the above symptoms is a clear indicator that you need to go to the emergency room. Do not wait to see if things resolve on their own.
Eye Irritants
Our eyelashes do a good job of keeping things out of our eyes most of the time. Occasionally a large amount of something can spill onto our eyes or a few small particles can slip through our eyelashes and irritate our eyes.
Irritants in and of themselves can cause eye problems. They can also cause further related injuries.
Chemicals
You run the risk of getting chemicals in your eyes if you work around them. Because of this safety goggles are always a good idea.
If you have a chemical leak through your goggles or you forget to wear them you can quickly get chemical eye irritation.
When chemicals get onto your face you will always want to start with flushing your eyes. Most areas where chemicals are common have an eye-flushing station. They’re often easy to use and have directions near them.
Chemical irritation and burns are serious. If you experience any negative symptoms after you have flushed your eyes, go to the doctor right away.
Debris
Small particles of debris are the most common eye irritants. There are quite a few things that can sneak into our eyes. Some are natural and others are man made. These include
- Dirt
- Dust
- Sand
- Hairs
- Metal
- Glass
- Drywall
- Paint chips
- Manufactured wood
- Makeup
Eye Irritant Treatment
Flushing your eyes is the first step in treating irritants. You can use water or a saline solution for this.
If you don’t have clean water you can successfully remove irritants by blinking frequently. This will add moisture to your eyes and help sweep particles away.
If you still have something in your eye after flushing it and blinking, try pulling your upper eyelid over your lower eyelid. Move your eyes around slightly and your lower eyelashes might dislodge the irritant.
It can be very tempting, but don’t rub your eyes! Rubbing your eyes might grant temporary relief, but it can also cause the debris to scratch your cornea.
Even if you see the debris in your eye, don’t use a tool or your finger to get something out of your eye. This can cause an infection or abrasion.
Seek medical assistance if you can’t get a particle out of your eye by flushing it. You should also see a medical professional if you believe the irritant scratched your eye.
Cuts or Abrasions of the Eye
Eye scratches are not always immediately obvious. You might think you still just have something irritating in your eye.
Most cuts happen from an irritant so it isn’t surprising that you might not realize you are injured at first. Your symptoms will help you know if an irritant caused an eye scratch.
Symptoms of Eye Scratch
Pain and irritation that lasts after you’ve flushed your eye and blinked quite a lot can be an indicator of a scratched eye. It is a good idea to get your eye checked out if the irritation persists.
Beyond irritation, an eye scratch will often cause excessive tearing and involuntary blinking. Your body will react to the scratch.
More serious symptoms include blurry vision, sensitivity to light, redness, blood in your eye, and a headache. If you have any combination of these symptoms see a doctor.
It is better to be safe than sorry when it comes to eye injuries. Untreated abrasions can lead to infections, vision deficiencies, blindness, and other serious issues.
Do’s for Eye Scratches
Most eye scratches will heal on their own with time, but depending on the mechanism of injury or size on the scratch, it may be necessary to seek medical attention. Antibiotic eye drops, eye drops and ointments may be necessary to protect the eye from infection.
If you believe you have a cut or abrasion on your eye, do the following:
- Rinse your eye with water or a saline solution
- Blink frequently
- Pull your top eyelid over your bottom eyelid and move your eye around
- Wear sunglasses
- Seek medical attention
Don’ts for Eye Scratches
There are a few practices to avoid entirely when you have a scratched eye.
Most people are surprised to learn that you shouldn’t use any eye drops for a scratched eye without a doctor telling you to. You can continue to rinse your eye for relief, but don’t use any drops unless instructed to do so.
You should also avoid your contact lenses while your eye heals. Contacts can further exacerbate the injury and cause irritation.
Just because you feel irritation doesn’t mean there is actually anything bothering your eye that you can remove. An eye scratch feels a lot like a foreign object. Don’t try and remove anything on your own. Stick to flushing your eye, blinking, and resting until an eye doctor gives you a treatment plan.
Puncture Wounds
A punctured eyeball is always a serious injury. You can gingerly help treat the wound while you travel to an emergency room or wait for an ambulance. No extensive at-home care should be done for eye punctures.
Careful Care
There are a lot of things you should NOT do when dealing with a puncture wound and only one thing you need to do.
The one thing you should do when dealing with an eye puncture wound is create a shield. A plastic cup over the eye works the best. You can tape the cup to the skin around the eye or gently hold it in place.
If the object in the eye is too large you can find another clean object to gently cover the area with. Make sure the shield isn’t touching the object or applying pressure to the area.
If you get a puncture wound to the eye, there are some important “don’t do’s”.
- Don’t rinse the area
- Don’t take any painkillers
- Don’t apply pressure or attempt to stop any bleeding
- Don’t remove any foreign objects
It can be difficult to not do these things, especially if the person with the injury is frantic and in pain. Do your best to quickly get the person to an emergency room and attempt to keep the area covered so irritants and germs can’t get into the wound.
UV Damage to Eyes
The sun always poses a risk of eye injury. The sun can cause UV eye damage in every season of the year and in every environment.
Both artificial and natural UV light can damage your eyes.
If you have an eye sunburn or UV damage you can usually treat the injury at home.
At-Home Care for UV Damage
UV burns on our eyes are similar to ones on our skin. They can cause lasting damage, but most often they’re inconvenient for only a few days.
Start by putting a cold compress on your eyes for 15 to 20 minutes 3 to 4 times a day. This will help calm your eyes and provide some relief.
Avoiding light is another way to ease the pain. Rest in a dark room or wear sunglasses while you heal. You should also keep your eyes closed as much as possible.
If you have contact lenses in, remove them. If you didn’t have them in when you got burned, don’t put them in while your eyes rest. They will cause irritation.
Unlike other eye injuries in this article, you can take painkillers and use eye drops when you have a UV eye burn.
Most eye burns will heal on their own in one to two days. Rest and simple comfort remedies are your best bet to heal quickly.
When to See an Eye Doctor for UV Burn
Some UV burns are serious enough they will not heal on their own. A doctor should be consulted if you have any red-flag symptoms. These include pain or light sensitivity that lasts longer than two days. Vision problems such as blurry vision, seeing halos or shadows, or difficulty seeing at night are also causes for concern.
Most UV damage can be reversed if a doctor is consulted. Don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment if things haven’t returned to normal in a few days.
Vision Problems
Not all eye injuries will have physical markers. You can be in an accident or get hurt and have no evidence on your face.
If you start to have blurry vision, difficulty seeing, headaches, or other invisible symptoms after an eye or head injury, get medical attention quickly. These symptoms, whether you have been physically hurt or not, are always indicators that you need to see a doctor.
Routine Eye Exams
Comprehensive eye exams play a vital role in eye health. You can ask your optometrist about any concerns during an eye exam. This includes concerns about older eye injuries you never had examined.
