Our eyes – although delicate – are usually resilient enough to weather everyday grime. Tears naturally wash very small specks of dust and dirt out of them. But a larger bit of dirt or dust can get stuck in the eye and cause irritation. Hard bits of material can scratch the outer covering of the eye, called the cornea. Many corneal scratches are minor and heal on their own. Still, it’s important to try to remove objects in the eye if you can.

A moistened cotton swab or piece of tissue. A medicine dropper filled with warm water or water in a clean glass.

First, wash your hands with soap and water before examining the injury. Both the American Medical Association and the American Red Cross advise against rubbing the eyes or removing contact lenses.

If the object is embedded in the eye, don’t try to remove it. Being careful not to apply any pressure to the eye, protect the injury by lightly taping both eyes with a sterile bandage scarf, or large cloth napkin. If the embedded object is large, tape a paper cup over the eye and the object. Seek medical help right away.

If the object is resting on the white part of the eye or inside the eyelid, flush it out by using a medicine dropped filled with warm water, or by pouring clean water from a glass. Another option: tilt the head under a faucet and use a gentle stream of water to rinse the eye. If this doesn’t work, moisten a cotton swab or the corner of a tissue and gently lift the object off. If you still can’t remove the object, seek medical help immediately.

Caution: Never rub an eye that has something in it. Rubbing can scratch the cornea. Never use tweezers, toothpicks, or your fingers to try to remove an object in the eye. Do not use anything other than water or saline solution to rinse the eye.

Sometimes one of the tiny blood vessels in the white of the eye can break, causing a red spot. Although it looks distressing, it’s not serious. These tiny hemorrhages usually heal in a few weeks.

Call your doctor if you are unable to remove an object in the eye, if you think the eyeball is punctured, or if vision is blurred after the object is removed. (Often people believe they have a foreign object in their eye when actually the pain is from another cause that needs medical attention.)

If the eye is painful or if it's bleeding, call your doctor or go to an emergency medical facility. It is also important to seek medical help if there is blood in the colored part of the eye, or if the eye bleeds after a serious blow. When it comes to your eyes, it's best to play it safe.

-- Peter Jaret is a contributing editor for Health magazine and a winner of the American Medical Association's award for medical reporting.

References

First published October 28, 2005
Copyright © 2005 Consumer Health Interactive

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