When To See An Eye Doctor When You Get Something In Your Eye And What The Doctor May Do
Posted on: 20 July 2022
It can be painful and frightening when you get something in your eye. Even bits of sand blown by the wind can make your eyes feel scratchy and make them water. Sometimes, it's necessary to go to the emergency room if you have a serious eye injury. Other times, you can treat yourself at home, but if you're not sure what to do, call your eye doctor. They'll let you know if you need to come to their office right away.
Here are ways to treat a foreign body in your eye, when to get help from an eye doctor, and what the doctor might do.
How To Get Rid Of Small Grit In Your Eye
Rinsing your eye with water is a good way to flush out bits of grit. Even your own tears may be enough to wash away grit. Just be sure you don't rub your eye. If necessary, tape a disposable cup over your eye so you can't touch it if you try to rub it without thinking. If you flush the grit out with water, the discomfort should clear up soon. If it doesn't, or if the object in your eye is big, call your eye doctor and let them know.
When To Call Your Eye Doctor For Help
If you get chemicals splashed in your eye, rinse your eye with water immediately to flush out the chemical and call an ambulance so you can go to the emergency room. If you have a serious and obvious injury, you may want to go to the emergency room right away. Otherwise, see or call your eye doctor if your eye is bleeding, oozing, has an object stuck in it like a splinter or piece of metal, or you have vision changes.
What Your Doctor Might Do
You might be treated by an optometrist or ophthalmologist depending on the severity of the problem. An optometrist can remove superficial objects that haven't penetrated your eye. An ophthalmologist may need to treat your eye if a splinter is deeply embedded or if you're having serious complications from the injury.
The first thing the doctor may try is rinsing your eye with water. If that doesn't help, they may use instruments to remove the object. Before that, they might apply anesthetic drops to your eye to reduce your discomfort. When the object is removed, you might need to take antibiotic drops.
If your eye was scratched by the object, the scratch should heal up fast. Unless your injury was serious, your eye might be healed in just a few days, and you'll probably need a repeat visit to your eye doctor to make sure your eye has healed properly.
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