Corneal Abrasion – What You Should Know About it

When talking about the eyes and their parts, the cornea is mentioned first since it covers the iris and pupil of the eyes. It is important to remember that the cornea is the first layer of the eyes through which light enters the eye and helps us see. Therefore, ensuring that the cornea is protected from external irritants and foreign objects becomes extremely important.

However, in case the cornea of the eyes becomes affected, it is known as corneal abrasion. Therefore, the best way to understand the problem of corneal abrasion is to get into the definition, causes, diagnosis, and treatment for corneal abrasion so that it does not recur again.

What is Corneal Abrasion?

Some foreign body causes corneal abrasion, like dirt, dust, sand, or gravel touching the surface of your cornea. A blunt injury can also cause it to the eye. Abrasions are graded one level at a time, depending on the injury’s seriousness.

1. A superficial abrasion damages only the top layer of cells and damages no deeper than 50 micrometers (µm).
2. Superficial abrasions are found in dry and wet environments and do not heal as quickly as other abrasions.
3. Superficial abrasions can lead to corneal ulceration, which causes scarring and new refractive errors in the eye, including astigmatism and myopia.

Corneal abrasion is an injury to the cornea. It is caused by a scratch, scrape, or other damage to the eye’s outermost and most important layer. It can be seen as a bluish spot (called corneal sequestrum) on the white of the eye. The area around will be red and painful.

A proper diagnosis is needed to ensure that proper attention is paid to the eye that has been affected due to a corneal abrasion. Therefore, it is important to understand the symptoms that can be easily observed.

Symptoms of Corneal Abrasion

With the definition and grading of abrasions on the cornea explained previously, it becomes important to understand corneal abrasion symptoms. It will be easier for the individual to get medical attention soon. In addition, it will reduce the chances of vision issues: These symptoms can help identify an individual suffering from corneal abrasion:

1. The most common symptom of a corneal abrasion is pain. Pain can be accompanied by excessive tearing, light sensitivity, seeing flashes or “floaters,” and pupil constriction.
2. The most common cause of a corneal abrasion is trauma to the eye, such as during sports activities or an accident.
3. A person with a corneal abrasion may also have acute onset iritis (inflammation in the front part of the eye), which can cause pain and redness in that part of the eye.

Additionally, reduced visual acuity, double vision, and watery eye appearance can help detect if your eyes have suffered a corneal abrasion. If you think that you have suffered a corneal abrasion on your eye, it should be diagnosed by an expert eye care provider for the best treatment.

Diagnosing a Corneal Abrasion

There are several ways an individual can suffer a corneal abrasion. It can occur from an extremely simple act of rubbing your eyes or while trying to take out a contact lens. Also, directly rubbing the eye with your finger can result in corneal abrasion. The symptoms of corneal abrasion have been discussed. Therefore it is important to understand how the eye care professional can diagnose the corneal abrasion with the following points:

1. A fluorescein stain will be placed on the eye surface, which will help highlight the affected area on the eye surface.
2. The eye care provider will examine the cornea with a slit lamp once the area is visible.
3. The cut or scratch on the cornea will be highlighted due to the dye placed on the cornea.

After all the steps mentioned above are completed, it will become easier to understand the amount of damage to the cornea. Therefore, the eye care provider can create the most suitable corneal abrasion treatment procedure to help the individual return to normal life at the earliest.

Treatments for Corneal Abrasion

After the diagnosis of corneal abrasion has been completed, it becomes important to ensure that proper treatment is done. In addition, it will be helpful for the individual to recover from the vision issues they are facing due to corneal abrasions. The following points are a great help in getting treatment for corneal abrasion:

1. The eye care provider will give you an eye patch to cover the injured eye. Due to the eye patch, reduced blinking helps faster recovery from the corneal abrasion symptoms.
2. Moisturizing eye drops or ointment can also help in corneal abrasion treatment. But, again, it is possible by providing a soothing layer over the cornea.
3. The eye care provider may also prescribe antibiotic ointments or eye drops that will help in reducing the chances of infection in the affected eye.
4. Another way through which treatment for corneal abrasion is done is eye drops that can help get pain relief.
5. Also, the eye care provider can provide special contact lenses to reduce pain and speed healing.

Depending on the extent of the corneal abrasion, the eyes might take a day to a week to recover. The best way to reduce the chances of an individual suffering corneal abrasion symptoms is to follow the points mentioned below:

1. If any foreign object blows into the eye, it is better to wash it out instead of rubbing the eye.
2. Wearing protective eyewear during sports activities can help in reducing the chances of corneal abrasions.
3. It is important to avoid sharp objects that can cause deep corneal abrasions in the eyes.
4. Corneal abrasions can also be caused due to eye or eyelid surgeries. However, it can be reduced with the help of an eye pad or lubricant drops that help reduce corneal abrasion symptoms.

All the corneal abrasion treatment and prevention methods have been mentioned above. It will ensure that anyone suffering from corneal abrasions gets medical help at the earliest opportunity. Corneal abrasions can heal by themselves. However, medical attention is needed if the corneal abrasion is at a deeper level.

Conclusion

The question “what is corneal abrasion?” was answered along with the symptoms of corneal abrasion. In addition, the best treatment methods that can help resolve corneal abrasions according to their severity have been mentioned here. All the information provided here will make it easy for someone with vision issues due to corneal abrasions to get proper treatment.