Corneal Abrasion

A corneal abrasion is a cut or scrape on the clear, protective part at the front of your eye. Your cornea covers the colored part of your eye (iris). Any foreign object such as dust, sand, dirt, metal, or wood that gets in your eye can cause a corneal abrasion. Your cornea may be scratched by a fingernail, twig, or a contact lens.

Rubbing your eye too hard can hurt it. If you hurt your eye before and it has not healed properly, your scratch may return weeks or months later. Some people, whose outer layers of their cornea are weak, can get a corneal abrasion (scratch) for no known reason. If you wear contact lenses you have greater chance of infection, if you have an abrasion (scratch).

Home Treatment:

• Use eye drops or eye ointment every ___ hours. (Instruction provided upon discharge from Emergency Department)
• Wear your eye patch for 24 hrs.
• Please return for a recheck of your eye _____________. (Instruction provided upon discharge from Emergency Department)
• Follow the directions for your eye drops or ointment very carefully. Ask for a sheet about how to put drops or ointment in your eye, if you do not know how.