Scratches on the cornea are also referred to as a corneal abrasion. It is a painful condition when injury takes place on the clear outer layer of the eyeball. A scratched cornea can lead to the patient constantly shedding tears, redness on the eyeball, and blurry vision, sensitivity to visible light and/or increased reflexive eye blinking. Corneal abrasions can result due to a number of things, which include:
As soon as a person experiences corneal abrasion, it is important that you visit a health care provider or an ophthalmologist immediately, within 24 hours, as eye injuries can lead to secondary infection and threaten the vision in the absence of immediate medical attention. Avoid any visual activity that caused the abrasion, till the time medical help arrives. If the cornea has been scratched due to a contact lens, avoid using a lens until a health professional okays its use.
Scratched corneas usually heal quickly with the right treatment, in a span of 2 - 4 days; while treatment is fairly simple and easy to handle. An eye doctor or an ophthalmologist may initially use a particular kind of fluorescent-colored eye drops and a specialized light to examine the abrasions. The eye expert will then be able to get rid of the foreign object causing the abrasion, after a thorough examination. Some kinds of common treatments prescribed for corneal abrasion include:
Even though most of the above treatments are available without prescriptions, make sure you see an ophthalmologist or an eye-expert rather than attempting to treat the condition yourself. During the healing process, eye-experts usually recommend wearing dark glasses with ultraviolet (UV) light protection, to reduce any irritation during visual activity. Eye patches prevent the eye from moving, and wearing it for at least a day helps in aiding the process of the healing and prevents further problems. On extremely rare occasions, superficial abrasions have caused loss of vision. It is possible that it may take a few weeks for clear sight to resume and during this period, it is imperative that the patient does not rub the eyes for healing to take place smoothly.