Corneal (Eye) Abrasions

What is a corneal abrasion?

A corneal abrasion is a painful scrape or scratch on the eye's cornea – a clear, protective covering over the iris (the colored part of the eye) and the pupil (the black circle in the middle of the eye).The cornea is important for both vision and protecting the eye. Corneal abrasions may be caused by many things, including being hit or poked in the eye; dirt, sand, dust, ash or other foreign materials blowing into your eye; rubbing your eye; wearing ill-fitting or dirty contact lenses, or wearing contact lenses for longer periods of time than prescribed; and certain eye infections.

What are the symptoms?

Common symptoms of a corneal abrasion may include eye pain, especially when opening or closing the eye; a feeling that there is something in your eye that you cannot get out; tearing and redness of the eye; sensitivity to light; blurred vision and/or headache.

What is the treatment?

Visit a Take Care Health Provider for evaluation of the severity of the corneal abrasion. The healthcare provider will complete a health history, physical examination and evaluation of the corneal abrasion, which may include the use of an orange dye called Fluorescein to confirm the presence of an abrasion to the cornea. This will allow the healthcare provider to determine the correct treatment, which may include pain medications and/or antibiotics. Patients with significant abrasion to the cornea will be referred to an Ophthalmologist or emergency room.

Corneal abrasions cannot be treated at Take Care Clinics if the patient has:

• Significant change in or loss of vision
• Severe eye injury
• Large foreign body
• The structure of the eye is broken, including broken bones
• Severe pain
• Chemical exposure to the eye
• Sensitivity to light without cause
• Glaucoma
• Recent history of corneal ulceration or herpetic keratitis