Corneal Abrasion Treatment: What to Do for a Scratched Eye

What is a Corneal Abrasion?

A corneal abrasion is a scratch or scrape on the cornea, the clear outer surface covering the front of the eye. The cornea helps protect the eye and plays an important role in focusing light, so damage to this sensitive tissue can cause both significant discomfort and temporary vision changes. 

Corneal scratches can happen in a variety of ways. A fingernail, tree branch, makeup tool, contact lens, or small particle of dust, dirt, sand, wood, or metal may scrape the eye. Rubbing your eye while something is trapped beneath the eyelid can also damage the corneal surface. 

Because the cornea contains many nerve endings, even a small abrasion can be quite painful. Common symptoms include redness, tearing, blurry vision, light sensitivity, and the feeling that a foreign object remains in the eye. If the pain is severe, your vision changes, or the symptoms are not beginning to improve, an eye doctor can examine the cornea and determine whether additional treatment is necessary.

What Does a Scratched Cornea Feel Like?

A corneal abrasion often feels like sand, grit, or another small object is stuck under the eyelid, even if the particle that caused the injury is no longer present. Blinking can make the discomfort worse because the eyelid moves across the scratched area. 

Symptoms may include:

• Eye pain or stinging 

• Redness 

• Excessive tearing or watery eyes 

• Sensitivity to light 

• Blurry or hazy vision 

• A gritty or foreign-body sensation 

• Difficulty keeping the affected eye open 

How noticeable the symptoms are can depend on the size, depth, and location of the abrasion. A very small scratch can still cause significant pain because of how sensitive the cornea is. Contact an eye care professional if you experience severe pain, worsening redness, significant vision changes, or symptoms that continue to get worse rather than improve. 

What Should You Immediately After Scratching Your Eye?

If you think your cornea may be scratched, avoid rubbing, pressing, or repeatedly touching the eye. Rubbing may make the abrasion worse and can cause additional injury if dirt, dust, sand, or another particle is still trapped beneath the eyelid. 

Gently flush the eye with clean, lukewarm water or sterile saline. This may help remove loose debris. Blinking several times can also encourage your natural tears to wash small particles from the eye. If you wear contact lenses, take them out and leave them out while the eye heals. Do not begin wearing them again until your eye doctor tells you it is safe. 

Never use tweezers, cotton swabs, fingernails, or another object to try to remove something that appears embedded in the eye. Avoid using leftover prescription drops or medication prescribed for another person as well. Contact an eye care professional if an object will not rinse out, the pain is significant, your vision changes, or your symptoms are not improving.

How Are Corneal Abrasions Treated?

The treatment for a corneal abrasion depends on how the injury occurred and how serious it is. An eye doctor may consider the size and location of the scratch, whether any debris remains in the eye, whether infection is present, and whether contact lenses were involved. 

For many uncomplicated abrasions, treatment focuses on reducing discomfort, preventing infection, and allowing the corneal surface to heal. 

Flushing or Removing Debris

When a scratch is caused by dust, dirt, sand, or another small particle, removing the material is often one of the first steps. Loose debris may be washed out with sterile saline or clean water. If something remains beneath the eyelid or on the surface of the cornea, an eye care professional can use magnification and specialized instruments to remove it safely.   

Do not attempt to remove anything that appears embedded in the eye. Injuries involving metal pieces, wood fragments, power tools, high-speed debris, or other objects that could have penetrated the eye require prompt professional attention. 

Antibiotic Eye Drops or Ointment

An eye doctor may prescribe antibiotic eye drops or ointment while a corneal abrasion heals. These medications can help reduce the risk of infection after the protective surface of the eye has been damaged. The type of medication recommended may depend on how the injury happened and whether you wear contact lenses. 

Contact lens-related corneal abrasions require particular attention because contact lens wear can increase the risk of certain corneal infections. If your abrasion occurred while wearing contacts, take them out and do not reinsert them until your eye doctor confirms that it is safe. 

Lubricating Eye Drops Ointments

Artificial tears, lubricating drops, or eye ointments may help reduce friction and keep the eye more comfortable while the damaged corneal surface repairs itself. These products can provide moisture and soothe irritation, especially when blinking feels uncomfortable. 

However, not all eye drops are appropriate for a scratched cornea. Avoid using leftover prescription medications or drops that were prescribed for someone else. Your eye doctor can recommend products that are appropriate for your injury. 

Pain Relief

Corneal abrasions can cause substantial pain because the cornea contains a high concentration of sensitive nerve endings. Depending on the severity of the injury, your eye doctor may recommend an appropriate way to manage discomfort while healing takes place. 

Numbing eye drops may be used during an examination so the doctor can evaluate the eye more comfortably. These medications are generally not intended for unsupervised use at home. Repeated or improper use of anesthetic eye drops can interfere with corneal healing and may cause serious complications. 

Prescription Dilating Drops

Some larger or more painful abrasions may cause muscles inside the eye to spasm. In these situations, an eye doctor may use prescription drops that temporarily dilate the pupil. These medications can relax the internal eye muscles and may reduce discomfort. 

Dilating drops are not necessary for every corneal abrasion. Your eye doctor will determine whether they are appropriate based on the size of the injury, your symptoms, and the findings of the examination.

Bandage Contact Lenses

For some corneal injuries, an eye doctor may place a special bandage contact lens over the scratched area. Unlike a standard contact lens used to correct vision, a bandage lens is used as a medical treatment. It creates a protective layer over the cornea, helping reduce friction from blinking and improve comfort while the surface heals.   

Bandage contact lenses require professional monitoring because wearing a lens over an injured cornea can increase concerns about infection. Follow your doctor’s instructions carefully and attend recommended follow-up visits. Do not put your regular contact lenses back in until your eye doctor says it is safe.

When Should You See an Eye Doctor for a Corneal Abrasion?

Some small corneal abrasions may begin improving quickly, but certain symptoms require professional evaluation. An eye doctor can check for deeper damage, infection, retained debris, or another eye condition that may be causing similar symptoms. 

Contact an eye care professional if you experience:

• Severe or worsening eye pain 

• Blurry, decreased, or otherwise changing vision 

• Increasing redness or swelling 

• Discharge from the eye 

• A persistent feeling that something is stuck in the eye 

• Symptoms that are not improving as expected 

• An injury caused by metal, wood, plant material, or high-speed debris 

• A corneal abrasion related to contact lens wear 

• An object that cannot be rinsed from the eye 

How Long Does a Scratched Cornea Take to Heal?

Many small, uncomplicated corneal abrasions begin to feel better within 24 to 48 hours and may heal completely within a few days. The cornea is capable of repairing its outer surface relatively quickly, but the exact recovery time depends on the size, depth, location, and cause of the injury. Larger abrasions can take longer to heal. Recovery may also be slower when the scratch is complicated by infection, contact lens wear, or foreign material remaining in the eye. 

As the corneal surface recovers, symptoms such as pain, tearing, and sensitivity to light should generally improve. Some mild irritation may continue for a short period even after the eye begins to feel better. If your symptoms are not improving, become more painful, or return after initially going away, contact an eye doctor. 

In some cases, the repaired corneal surface does not remain firmly attached and can reopen later. This is known as recurrent corneal erosion and may cause repeated episodes of pain, watering, irritation, or light sensitivity. An eye care professional can evaluate the cornea and recommend additional treatment if healing is not progressing normally.