How to Treat a Scratched Cornea

Scratches on your eye can be painful, alarming and uncomfortable. The good news is that they're usually easily treatable. More good news--your eyes are some of the quickest-healing parts on your body. With a little care, your scratched cornea can be better in a matter of days.

Things You'll Need

• Cold compress
• Eye drops

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Instructions

• 1

  Recognize the symptoms of a scratched cornea. An abrasion, or scratch, of the cornea is likely to cause excessive tearing, pain to the point of not wanting to open the eye, blurred vision and sensitivity to light. Often an individual may remember being poked in the eye with an object shortly before the symptoms began, or she may have slept in her contacts.

• 2

  Blink your eye several times to help remove dust, sand or other small particles.

• 3

  Flush your eye with water. If you wear contacts, take your contact out and flush your eye with water to get rid of the object that scratched your eye. Even if you don't wear contacts, flush your eye with water. Do not try to remove an object that is embedded in the eye, or an object that prevents proper closure of the eyelid. If this occurs, seek medical attention immediately.

• 4

  Seek medical attention to confirm you have an abrasion or to remove any debris from your eye. A physician may "stain" your eye with a chemical that makes an abrasion easier to see to confirm the diagnosis. He will also have the tools to be able to safely extract any debris.

• 5

  Take medication as prescribed by your doctor. If your eye is scratched, your doctor will likely prescribe an antibiotic in the form of eye drops to heal, and numb, your eye. The antibiotic relieves some of the pain and also helps your eye heal faster. He may prescribe Vicodin to ease pain (yes, it is that painful), though it's not absolutely necessary in the healing process. He may also prescribe an eye drop to dilate your pupils to help your eye intake light.

• 6

  Place a cold compress on your eye if swelling continues. If you wear contacts, avoid wearing them for at least a week.