Scratched Cornea Treatment: How to Care for a Corneal Abrasion

What is a Corneal Abrasion?

A corneal abrasion is a scratch or scrape on the cornea, the clear tissue that covers the front of the eye. The cornea helps protect the eye and plays an important role in focusing light, so even a shallow injury can cause significant discomfort and temporary changes in vision. 

A scratch can happen when a fingernail, tree branch, makeup applicator, contact lens, or small piece of dust, dirt, sand, metal, or wood comes into contact with the eye. Rubbing the eye while debris is trapped under the eyelid can also scrape the corneal surface.  

The cornea contains many sensitive nerve endings, which is why a small abrasion may feel much more painful than expected. Tearing, redness, blurry vision, light sensitivity, and a gritty sensation are all common. If pain is severe, your vision changes, or symptoms are not beginning to improve, an eye doctor can examine the cornea and determine whether treatment is needed. 

What are the Symptoms of a Scratched Cornea?

A scratched cornea often creates the sensation that something is caught in the eye, even when the object that caused the injury is no longer there. Many people describe it as feeling like sand or grit underneath the eyelid. Blinking can make the discomfort more noticeable because the eyelid moves across the injured surface. 

Possible symptoms 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 

The severity of these symptoms can vary depending on the size and location of the abrasion. Significant vision changes, severe pain, increasing redness, or symptoms that continue to worsen should be evaluated by an eye care professional.

What Should You If You Think You Scratched Your Eye?

If you suspect a corneal abrasion, avoid rubbing or pressing on your eye. Rubbing can irritate the injured surface further and may cause additional damage if dust, sand, or another particle is still present. Gently rinse the eye with sterile saline or clean, lukewarm water. This may help wash away loose debris. Blinking several times can also help your natural tears flush small particles from the eye. If you wear contact lenses, remove them and leave them out while the eye heals. Do not resume wearing contacts until your eye doctor confirms that it is safe.  

Avoid using tweezers, cotton swabs, fingernails, or other objects to remove anything that appears stuck in the eye. You should also avoid using leftover prescription eye drops or medication prescribed for someone else. Contact an eye care professional if a particle will not rinse out, your pain is significant, your vision changes, or symptoms are not starting to improve.

How Are Corneal Abrasions Treated?

Corneal abrasion treatment depends on the cause and severity of the injury. Your eye doctor will consider factors such as the size of the scratch, whether debris remains in the eye, whether there are signs of infection, and whether contact lenses were involved. 

For many uncomplicated abrasions, treatment focuses on reducing discomfort, protecting the damaged surface from infection, and allowing the cornea to heal naturally. 

Flushing or Removing Debris

If a corneal abrasion was caused by dust, sand, dirt, or another small particle, removing that material is often an important first step. Loose debris may wash out with sterile saline or clean water. If something remains trapped beneath the eyelid or attached to the cornea, an eye care professional can use magnification and appropriate instruments to remove it safely. 

Do not try to remove an object that looks embedded in the eye. Injuries involving metal fragments, wood, power tools, high-speed particles, or other potentially penetrating objects require prompt professional evaluation.  

Antibiotic Eye Drops or Ointment

An eye doctor may prescribe antibiotic eye drops or ointment to help reduce the risk of infection while the corneal surface heals. The medication selected may depend on the source of the injury and whether you wear contact lenses. Corneal abrasions associated with contact lens wear require extra attention because certain bacterial infections are more common among contact lens wearers. 

If your injury occurred while you were wearing contacts, remove the lenses and do not put them back in until your doctor says it is safe. 

Lubricating Eye Drops Ointments

Lubricating drops, artificial tears, or eye ointments may be recommended to reduce friction and improve comfort as the cornea heals. These products can add moisture to the eye surface and soothe irritation while damaged cells recover. Some thicker ointments may provide longer-lasting lubrication. 

Not every eye drop is appropriate for an injured cornea. Avoid using old prescriptions or drops intended for someone else. Your eye doctor can recommend a product that is appropriate for your injury. 

Pain Relief

A corneal abrasion can be quite painful because of the large number of nerve endings in the cornea. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, an eye doctor may recommend an appropriate option for controlling pain while the eye heals. 

Numbing drops are sometimes used during the eye examination so the doctor can evaluate the injury more comfortably. However, these drops are generally not intended for unsupervised home use. Repeated or improper use of topical anesthetic drops can interfere with healing and may cause serious corneal complications. 

Prescription Dilating Drops

Some larger or more painful corneal abrasions may cause muscles inside the eye to spasm, adding to the discomfort. In these cases, an eye doctor may prescribe drops that temporarily dilate the pupil and relax those muscles. 

Not every abrasion requires dilating medication. Your doctor will determine whether it is appropriate based on the size of the injury, your symptoms, and what is found during the examination. 

Bandage Contact Lenses

For certain injuries, an eye doctor may place a special bandage contact lens over the cornea. Unlike ordinary prescription contacts, this lens is used as a medical treatment. It covers the injured surface, reduces friction from blinking, and may improve comfort during healing. 

Because wearing a lens over a damaged cornea can increase the risk of infection, bandage contact lenses must be monitored by an eye doctor. Follow all instructions for care and follow-up appointments, and do not put your regular contacts back in until your doctor says it is safe.

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

Small corneal abrasions may begin improving quickly, but certain symptoms warrant professional evaluation. An eye doctor can check for deeper injury, infection, retained foreign material, or another 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 can repair its outer surface relatively quickly, but healing time varies based on the size, depth, location, and cause of the injury. Larger scratches can take longer to heal. Recovery may also be slower when the abrasion involves an infection, contact lens wear, or debris that remains in the eye. 

As healing progresses, pain, tearing, and sensitivity to light should generally decrease. Mild irritation may continue briefly even after the eye begins feeling better. If symptoms are not improving, become more painful, or return after initially going away, contact your eye doctor. 

Sometimes the repaired surface of the cornea does not remain securely attached and may reopen later. This condition, called recurrent corneal erosion, can cause repeated episodes of pain, tearing, and irritation. An eye care professional can examine the cornea and recommend additional treatment if the surface is not healing normally.