Eye Injury

The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) says that about one million eye injuries occur each year in the U.S. (Read about "The Eye") Many of them could be prevented by safety measures such as goggles on the job, around the house and during sports. (Read about "Safety Equipment") According to the U.S. Eye Injury Registry, about 43 percent of eye injuries occur in the home. AAO says over 40,000 injuries are sports related and could be prevented with appropriate eyewear. An increasing problem is chemical burns to eyes from household products and even car batteries.

The National Eye Institute (NEI) says the cornea copes very well with minor injuries or abrasions. If the highly sensitive cornea is scratched, healthy cells slide over quickly and patch the injury before infection (Read about "Microorganisms") occurs and vision is affected. If the scratch penetrates the cornea more deeply, however, the healing process will take longer, at times resulting in greater pain, blurred vision, tearing, redness and extreme sensitivity to light. These symptoms require professional treatment. Deeper scratches can also cause corneal scarring, resulting in a haze on the cornea that can greatly impair vision. In this case, a corneal transplant may be needed. (Read about "Transplants")

The retina can also be damaged if the eye is hit resulting in retinal detachment (Read about "Retinal Detachment") and/or bleeding behind the retina.

If your eye is injured, don't delay in getting it examined by a professional. Contact your own eye doctor or go to an emergency room. AAO also has these suggestions:

• Don't rub your eye under any circumstances.
• Protect the eye with a patch of some sort but don't let it come in contact with the eye.
• Don't put any kind of ointment or medication on the eye.
• If the eye has been cut in any way, do not wash it out.
• Do wash it out if the damage is the result of a chemical burn.
• A blow to the eye may not seem to cause any damage but it should be checked. Carefully, without any pressure, apply a cold compress to cut any pain or swelling and get it checked right away.
• If you get something in your eye, like sand you can use eyewash to wash it out. Don't rub the eye. If you don't get it out right away, cover the eye and get it checked professionally.
• Don't use aspirin, ibuprofen or other non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs. If there is any bleeding, they can thin the blood and make it worse.

Related Information:

    Eye Exams

    Eye and Sun