Corneal Abrasion Causes

• A corneal abrasion may occur when something hits your eye. For example, while hiking, if the person in front of you lets go of a tree branch, it could hit your eye, causing an abrasion to the cornea.
• A corneal injury may occur when something gets into your eye, for example, when the wind blows a dried leaf particle into your eye or when paint chips fall into your eye whle you are scraping off old pain.  This material may scratch the cornea.
• A foreign body, such as a piece of sand or wood, may lodge under the upper lid and cause scratches of the corneal surface every time that you blink.
• In addition to causing corneal injury, high-speed particles may penetrate your eye and injure deeper structures.  An example of this would be a small metal fragment flying into the eye when a person is using a grinding wheel without protective eyewear.  This may cause a serious injury that demands immediate medical attention to guard against permanent loss of vision.
• A hot cigarette ash flying into the eye may cause a corneal abrasion.
• A common cause of a corneal abrasion is a young child accidentally poking you in the eye with their fingernail.
• You may cause a corneal abrasion when you rub your eyes excessively when they are irritated.
• Wearing contact lenses longer than recommended may injure the corneal surface and cause a corneal abrasion.
• Certain eye infections may also cause injury to the surface of the cornea. This injury, although not technically considered a corneal abrasion, may be temporary or permanent.
• Exposure of the unprotected eye to ultraviolet light from sun lamps or welding arcs can cause changes in the corneal surface resembling corneal abrasions.

Corneal Abrasion Symptoms

You should suspect a corneal abrasion if you have sustained an injury to your eye. Some of the symptoms you may experience are:

• A sensation of a forgein body in the eye (for example, a feeling that there is something in your eye that you cannot get out).  This feeling sometimes develops a few hours later rather than immediately after the apparent injury.
• Tearing of the eyes
• Blurred vision or distortion of vision
• Eye pain when exposed to a bright light
• Spasm of the muscles surrounding your eye causing you to squint

When to Seek Medical Care

You should see your residency trained optometrist (an optometrist who has undergone advanced residency training under the supervision of an ophthalmologist) if you experience any of the following:

• You have eye pain, with or without an associated eye injury.
• You experience a sudden loss of vision or a sudden significant blurring of vision.
• You receive an eye injury from high-speed equipment that could cause a fragment to go into your eye, such as from a grinding wheel, from hammering upon metal, or from carpentry sanding and sawing.
• You have the feeling that there is something in your eye and you cannot get it out.
• Exposure to sunlight or bright indoor lights causes sever eye pain
• You have eye redness.
• You are experiencing minor eye symptoms in the presence of a known eye condition or in the presence of having sight in only one eye.
• Your pain lasts more than a few hours or is severe. Also, seek medical help if you have eye pain and do not recall any injury to your eye.
• You have any chemical or heat burn to your eye.
• Pain returns for an eye injury that seemed to have resolved with treatment.

Questions to Ask the Doctor

• What is the cause of my symptoms? 
  
  
• How large is the corneal abrasion?
  
  
• Will I develop any scarring or permanent vision loss from the corneal abrasion?
  
  
• How can I prevent this injury from happening again?
  
  
• What can I expect to feel once the effects of the numbing eyedrops have worn off?
  
  
• When may I resume my regular activities?

Corneal Abrasion Treatment

Self-Care at Home

• In cases of minor irritation, such as one resulting from a piece of dust flying into your eye, you may be able to wash out the foreign object from your eye with clean tap water.
  
  
  • You can rinse your eye by tilting your head back and pouring water into your opened eye.
    
    
  • You can also fill a sink with water and plunge your head into the water with your eyes open.
    
    
  • Laboratories and industrial settings where chemical contaminations are possible have eye wash stations to rinse out the eyes if necessary.
  
  
• Over the counter artificial tears or lubricants may improve the discomfort in your eye.
  
  
• Over-the-counter pain medicine, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), may be helpful. If one dose of such medication does not bring relief, consult your ophthalmologist.
  
  
• After your eye examination, you should rest with your eyes closed to help the healing process. This means no reading. You should also not drive until your ophthalmologist says it is safe for you to do so, because driving with impaired vision poses a danger to yourself and others. Instead, have someone drive you to your appointment with the residency trained optometrist