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Corneal Abrasion: First Aid
By Matt Unangst, 04 Feb 17:36
Corneal abrasions are the most common type of eye injury. The cornea is a clear protective layer at the front of your eye. If can be scratched or cut by dust, dirt, sand, wood shavings, paper, or metal. A scratch will normally be minor. Such a cut is called a corneal abrasion. Corneal abrasions can become infected and develop into corneal ulcers, which are far more serious.
Corneal abrasions are often extremely painful due to the high sensitivity of the cornea. It is often said that a corneal abrasion feels like having sand in your eye. Your vision may become blurry, you may cry, and the area around your eye may turn red. Another common symptom is a headache.
You can easily suffer a corneal abrasion during the course of your everyday activities. While playing sports, working on your home, or dealing with children, it is easy to get something into your eye that scratches your cornea. The cornea can also be damaged by splashing chemicals.
Seek medical attention immediately if you suffer an injury to your eye. Start by washing your eye with saline solution of clean water. This can rinse out whatever it was that caused the eye injury. Use an eyecup or small glass to rinse your eye if you do not have access to an eye-rinse station, which is the best method of removing particles from the eye. Blink repeatedly, as this may help to remove any small particles from your eye. Pull your upper eyelid down over your lower eyelid. This sometimes results in your lower eyelashes brushing off particles from the inside of your upper eyelid.
Eye injuries can easily be aggravated, especially since you can’t really see what you are doing. Do not try to remove anything that has become embedded in your eyeball or any object that is large enough to make closing your eye difficult. Doing so could cause severe damage. Do not rub your eye after an injury or touch your eye with any foreign objects, as doing so could make your corneal abrasion worse.
Tags: cornea, corneal abrasion, eye injury, first aid, eye