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KEY POINTS
- An eye injury may be a cut, scrape, or bruise on or near your eye.
- Chemical burns to your eyes are a medical emergency. For serious cuts around the eye or on your eyeball, call your healthcare provider or go to the emergency department or urgent care center.
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What is an eye injury?
An eye injury may be a cut, scrape, or bruise on or near your eye. Most of the time when you get something in your eye, your eye washes it out by making tears. In some cases, an object in your eye can scratch your cornea, which is the clear outer layer on the front of your eye.
If you suspect that your eyeball has been cut or punctured by something sharp, do not attempt to remove the object or to clean or wash out your eye. It’s best to protect your eye by taping a pad or Styrofoam cup over your eye and go immediately to your healthcare provider or emergency room. Do not put any pressure on your eye.
If you have an eye injury, it is not easy to know how much your eye has been damaged. Have your eyes checked if you have pain that does not go away quickly or if you have vision changes.
What should I do if I get a chemical in my eye?
Chemical burns to your eyes are a medical emergency. Follow these steps if you get a chemical in your eyes.
- Immediately flush your eyes with clean water for 10 to 15 minutes. Stop only long enough to get more water. Keep your eyes open while flushing with water. Look up and down and move your eyes side to side while flushing with water.
- If only one eye is affected, turn your head to the side so that you don't get the chemical in your other eye.
- After you flush your eyes with water, call your healthcare provider or go to the emergency department or urgent care center right away. If possible, bring along the container the chemical was in.
What should I do for cuts or scrapes?
If you have a minor cut or scrape near your eye, but your eyeball is not injured, first wash your hands. Then use a clean cloth to wash the wound carefully with soap and water. Rinse the wound well. To stop bleeding, put pressure on the cut for 10 minutes with a clean cloth or sterile gauze pad. You usually do not need a bandage or antibiotic ointments. For more serious cuts around the eye, call your healthcare provider or go to the emergency department or urgent care center. You may need stitches. If you haven't had a tetanus shot in the last 5 years, get a tetanus shot or booster shot within 48 hours.
What should I do for swelling or bruises?
- Swelling usually follows an injury to the area around your eye. Put an ice pack, gel pack, or package of frozen vegetables wrapped in a cloth on your eye every 3 to 4 hours for up to 20 minutes at a time for the first day or two after the injury. Take nonprescription pain medicine, such as acetaminophen, ibuprofen, or naproxen. Read the label and take as directed. Unless recommended by your healthcare provider, you should not take these medicines for more than 10 days.
- Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, naproxen, and aspirin, may cause stomach bleeding and other problems. These risks increase with age.
- Acetaminophen may cause liver damage or other problems. Unless recommended by your provider, don't take more than 3000 milligrams (mg) in 24 hours. To make sure you don’t take too much, check other medicines you take to see if they also contain acetaminophen. Ask your provider if you need to avoid drinking alcohol while taking this medicine.
Don't be surprised if a black eye develops over the next 2 days. You may also get bleeding in the white of your eyeball. This is usually not harmful and goes away on its own in a few weeks.
How do I remove a particle in my eye?
To remove a loose eyelash, dirt particle, or other small object in your eye:
- Wash your hands before touching your eyes.
- Look in a mirror and try to find the object in your eye.
- Try the following methods to remove the object:
- Blink several times to allow your tears to wash it out. Do not rub your eye.
- If the particle is behind your upper eyelid, pull the upper lid out and over the lower lid and roll your eye upward. This can help get the particle off the upper lid and flush it out of your eye.
- If something is in the corner of your eye or under your lower eyelid, use a wet cotton swab or piece of clean cloth to get it out.
- Fill an eye cup or small glass with lukewarm water. Put your eye over the cup of water and open your eye to rinse your eye and flush the object out.
- You may also need to pour lukewarm water into your eye or hold your eye under a faucet to flush your eye.
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This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information is intended to inform and educate and is not a replacement for medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.
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