How to Heal the Cornea

An abrasion, or scrape, to the cornea is a common injury for the eye. Corneal abrasions usually heal within a few hours or a few days and do not usually leave any long-term damage. The condition will be painful until the cornea heals itself and protects the nerves around it.

Instructions

• 1

  Call an eye doctor. If you have pain, redness or sensitivity in your eye, call an eye doctor and make an appointment. Eye injuries are best left to professionals. If you have a corneal abrasion, an eye patch is usually used to protect and immobilize the eyelid and prevent rubbing. The coverage should extend from the forehead to the cheek, sometimes requiring more than one patch. It's better for a doctor to put the eye patch in place than to try to do it yourself.

• 2

  Use a special "bandage" contact lens. Sometimes a special lens is used to cover the eye if it does not seem to be healing properly with a regular patch. Your doctor will determine whether you need this lens. This method would allow you to avoid wearing a patch and allow you to see out of that eye during the healing process.

• 3

  Follow your doctor's orders. Your doctor may use an anesthetic eye drop during the examination to help ease pain and may also write you a prescription for antibiotic drops or ointment to help the healing process and prevent infection. Follow the prescribed directions and avoid too much eye strain from reading or bright-light exposure while your eye is healing.