How to Remove a Foreign Particle From an Eye

The pain of having a small foreign object in your eye is unbearable. It can be enough to drive a person mad. Be it an eyelash, a speck of dirt, grit or even a little makeup, the pain can be intense. You must also try to remove a foreign object quickly to prevent possible damage to the eye. In most cases, the removal of the object is simply a matter of rinsing it out, but you must be mindful to do this the right way.

Instructions

• 1

  Wash your hands well and dry them. If possible, apply a little hand sanitizer to prevent the spread of germs to your eye. If you are wearing contact lenses, try to gently remove the lens from the eye because the lens may actually be what's holding the object in the eye in some cases.

• 2

  Position yourself in front of a mirror with lots of light.

• 3

  Hold the eye open and gently move the eye from top to bottom and from side to side in an attempt to locate the object.

• 4

  Gently pull down the lower lid and look inside of it to see if you can locate the object. Do not touch the eye if possible. If you can see the object try to gently slide it out of the eye opening with the soft tip of your finger.

• 5

  Gently lift the upper lid and look underneath to try to find the object. Again, be careful not to touch the eye and try to gently slide the object out with the tip of your finger if you can see it.

• 6

  Hold the lid open and flush the eye carefully with cool, clean, running water. Gently pat the eye dry while closed.

• 7

  Open the eye slowly and gently move the eye around. If the object is still present, flush the eye again.

• 8

  Once the object is cleared, lubricate the eye well with saline-based eye drops, which also will disinfect the eye just in case the object caused any minute damage to the eyeball surface. If you wear contact lenses, give your eyes about 30 to 45 minutes to rest and recover from the trauma. When you are ready to put your lenses back in place, make sure they are clean and lubricate them and your eyes very well. Understand that your eyes may be very sensitive for a couple of hours, and your lenses might be uncomfortable; this is normal.