Something scratched my eye! What should I do?
Usually, by the time you arrive we will already have received information from your visit at Urgent Care. We will numb your eye so that it is comfortable for the examination, which is when we will measure your level of vision and check the extent of damage to the cornea through staining (using a colored dye to detect eye damage).
Treatment for an eye scratch
Depending on where the scratch is on the eye, we will either apply a bandage-like contact lens (which is generally kept in for 36 to 48 hours, including while sleeping) or prescribe a topical therapy such as ointment or antibiotics. We will follow-up with you after a day, and again after a week, to ensure that the scratch is healing.
How does a bandage contact lens help?
When your eye is scratched, you are left with either a flap of skin or an entire missing area of skin on the cornea. If you think or your eyelids as wiper blades on a windshield, wiping over and over and over on that damaged area of the windshield, you’ll not only make it a little worse (your eyelids are kind of wiping away some of the skin that is trying to regrow), but it can also be very painful.
If the office is closed, our eye doctors are still on call 24/7 to help with eyecare & eye care emergencies.