Something in your eye?

It’s a terrible feeling when something like a bug or dust particle gets in your eye.   What should you do?

Definitely do not rub your eye!

When to Flush Out Your Eye

Sometimes, you’ll need the help of clean water or saline. Try it if:

  • A speck in your eye won’t come out
  • There’s more than one speck in your eye
  • Chemicals get into your eye (in this case, use water only, and keep flushing for 15 to 20 minutes)

Fill a container or eye cup (you can get eye cups at the drugstore). Dunk your eye in it, then open and close your eye a few times.

Sometimes, it takes a team effort. You may need to lie down on your side and hold your eye open while a friend drops the water or saline into your eye from the side.

Once you get the object out of your eye, you should start to feel better in an hour or two.

When to Get Help

Your eyes are sensitive and delicate. Get medical attention right away if:

  • You get harsh chemicals in your eye like:
  • Something has poked a hole in your eye.
  • Something pierced your eye and is stuck there. Don’t try to take it out yourself.
  • You can’t get specks of dirt or sand out of your eye.
  • It still feels like there’s something in your eye after you’ve tried to get it out, but you can’t see it.
  • Your eye bleeds.
  • You can’t close your eye.
  • Your vision changes.
  • Your eye doesn’t feel better, or it starts to feel worse, even though you got the object out.

When you get help, your eye doctor will want to take a look at your eye. He may put different kinds of drops in your eyes, like:

  • Medication to make your eye numb
  • Dye so he can see any scratches on your eyeball
  • Meds to widen your pupils

Your doctor might try to get the object out of your eye by flushing it out, or he may use needles or other instruments. If the object has pierced your eyeball and is stuck inside your eye, you might have a special X-ray or ultrasound taken to see exactly where it is.

Your doctor might give you antibiotic ointment to put in your eye to prevent infection. If there’s a scratch left on your eye after the offending object is removed, you may have to wear an eye patch while it gets better.

Call our office if you cannot get relief; we take emergency visits and we are open 7 days a week.  Do not go to emergency; see one of our eye doctors!