How Can I Get a Piece of Dirt Out of My Eye?

Even the smallest piece of dirt in your eye can leave small surface scratches on your eye and make it burn. Often, you can safely remove the dirt yourself. When trying to get a piece of dirt out of your eye, use a method to prevent the dirt from further scratching or irritating your eye during removal. Avoid rubbing your eye; head to the bathroom cabinet instead for eye-dirt removal supplies.

Things You'll Need

• Contact lenses saline
• Water
• Cotton swab

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Instructions

• 1

  Wash your hands with soap and water and rinse thoroughly before trying to remove the dirt from your eye. Dirt from your hands will further irritate your eye.

• 2

  Flush saline used to rinse contacts or eye drops into your eye. Tip your head back, look up at the ceiling and hold your upper eyelid open with one hand while squeezing the saline in your eye with your other hand. Get someone to put the saline in your eye if you are unable to do this yourself.

• 3

  Flush your eye with water if you do not have saline or eye drops. You can do this in the shower or by hanging your head over the sink while splashing water in your eyes.

• 4

  Use a saline- or water-soaked cotton swab to dab at the piece of dirt, but only if the dirt is on the white part of the eye. Do not apply pressure; simply try to get the dirt to stick to the wet cotton to pull off the dirt.

• 5

  Contact your eye doctor if you cannot remove the dirt or your eye is injured or still irritated.