Despite the fact that eyes are fragile, injuries to these eyes are not uncommon. There are some minor and severe injuries which may happen to the parts of the eyes. Although seems scary and fatal, as long as the injuries do not cause any damages to the inner parts of the eyes and its nervous system, those should be curable using home remedies. However, any injuries to the eyes require sufficient attention in order to prevent the possibility of infection and vision disturbance.

Scratches to the eyes

Scratches to the eyes are the most common injuries experienced by children and adults. This causes pain to the surface of the eye—the cornea. Hence, the injury is also referred as corneal abrasion. The eyes are scratches when something hits or scratch the eyes, causing injuries to the transparent outer part of the eye. Not only causing injuries to the cornea, this also affects the neurons surrounding the cornea, causing sensitivity to the light as the cornea gets injured.

Causes and symptoms

In general, scratches to the eyes are caused by the presence of strange objects around the cornea, which may be triggered by series of daily events, such as:

• Accidental poke to the eyes with the fingernail. This commonly causes corneal abrasion among children.
• Rubbing the eyes excessively, causing inflammation to the surface of the eyes.
• Debris—dust, ash, sand, and other tiny materials which gets into the eyes. This might cause discomfort to the eyes, which is triggered by the irritation to the eye following the penetration of strange objects to the cornea. Corneal abrasion caused by objects penetrating the eyes is worsen when the affected eye is rubbed continuously.
• Incidental contact of the eyes with strange hard objects, which causes eye inflammation and injury to the cornea. This might happens when you have accidents which involve falling, stroking, or crashing.
• Irritation to the eye surface triggered by contact lenses which are wore in longer period than usual, or unhygienic.

Will it heal properly?

• Most corneal abrasion cases are curable even with home remedies, despite the pain and discomfort it may trigger after the accidents. When treated properly and immediately, corneal abrasion should not be permanent and can be easily gotten rid of.
• When caused by fingernail poke, corneal abrasion will heal within a day, as long as the poked eye is left alone. Corneal abrasion which is caused by external debris, however, might be more severe than one caused by an accidental poke, since the debris penetrating the eye might be dirty or sharp. Yet, this should not also cause serious injury to the eye. As long as the debris is diminished and the affected eye is cleaned thoroughly, the pain should subside in less than a day.
• Contact lenses-induced eye scratch will heal within days. Make sure to keep the eye hydrated and take the contact lenses off while promoting healing.
• Eye scratch which is accompanied by inflammation which commonly happens during a severe accident might take longer time to heal. It is important to get the swelling down first to get rid of the discomfort sensation to the eye. Although might be accompanied by red eyes, with proper treatments, this kind of injuries are commonly temporary.
• Major corneal abrasions, however, might not heal very easily. For instance, an eye injury caused by high-speed particles, such as small metal flying during a grinding wheel usage, might require a proper medical treatment. This kind of cornea scratch is not recommended to be treated at home. Instead, an immediate medical treatment is required, because when the injury is severe, this kind of scratch can possibly trigger blurred vision and excessive light sensitivity.
• Eye injuries caused by scratch will won’t heal for certain period also needs medical attention. Be sure to see a doctor when the effects of the scratch get worse and more painful. Further treatments might also be required if the sensitivity to the light increases, followed by sting and itching sensation, and the swelling will not go down after some home treatments. Late treatments might cause worse infection and may disrupt the vision, which is harmful to the eye.