Foreign body in the eye - under the eyelid, in the conjunctiva and in the cornea - is one of the most common eye injuries. Such accidents are most often accompanied by reddening of the eyes and their burning sensation, as well as photophobia. What to do then and how to remove a foreign body from the eye? What to do when a large foreign body digs deep into the eye?

The foreign body in the eyecauses pain, tearing, burning, redness and photophobia. Doctors divide the foreign bodies in the eye into surface foreign bodies and intraocular foreign bodies. The former are usually able to be removed by the patient himself, the latter are serious injuries that can only be de alt with by a doctor. Even if you only suspect that a foreign body may have penetrated the inside of the eyeball, see a doctor as soon as possible.

Foreign body in the eye - how to remove it yourself?

  • don't rub your eyes
  • Before you touch your eye, wash your hands thoroughly, preferably with soap and water
  • grab the eyelashes and tilt the upper eyelid, pull it towards the lower eyelid - it will facilitate the drainage of tears which will wash out the foreign body; if sand is still stuck, rinse eyes with warm water
  • if there is a foreign object under the upper eyelid, grasp the eyelashes and fold back (while looking down).
  • you can also put a match on the eyelid and wind the eyelid on it, remove the foreign body or a grain of sand gently with the corner of a moistened handkerchief

If that doesn't work, cover the eye with a bandage to keep the eyelid from moving and seek medical attention.

Intraocular foreign body

Intraocular foreign bodies are located primarily in the vitreous chamber or the retina, but can also be found in the anterior chamber, iris, lens, cornea, and even pierce the back wall of the eyeball and enter the eye socket.

If you feel or even just suspect that there is a foreign body in your eye, do not delay, see an ophthalmologist or an emergency room immediately.

In extreme cases, the ingress of a foreign body into the eyeball may cause blurred vision, lead to hemorrhage and damage to the central retina. Unfortunately, these symptoms do not always occur, so the fact that a foreign body gets inside the eyeball may be overlooked, and this usually leads to serious complications. Over time, an infiltrate forms around an unremoved foreign body, and inflammation may occurthe inside of the eyeball as a reaction to damage to the lens or due to bacterial infection. When the foreign body is made of metal, chemical reactions also occur over time, which aggravate the damage, e.g.

  • a copper-containing foreign body can cause coppice - this is an acute toxic-inflammatory reaction causing blindness
  • an iron-containing foreign body can cause laziness - this is a chronic toxic reaction, leading to impairment of vital functions in the long term.

In addition, an intraocular foreign body that is not removed in time can lead to proliferative viteoretinopathy and retinal detachment, i.e. blindness.

Important

A large foreign body stuck in the eye - what to do?In the case of a very large foreign body (eg a pencil or a nail), never remove it yourself. Before transporting the casu alty to the hospital, the foreign body stuck in the eye should be immobilized. The simplest method is to very carefully and gently (so as not to damage the nerves and blood vessels) apply sterile, undeveloped rolls of bandages on both sides of the eye sticking into the eye, join them with a plaster and attach to the head.

Foreign body in the eye: treatment

A patient with an intraocular foreign body should be under the care of experienced eye surgeons, in a center specialized in vitrectomy (microsurgical operations) and treatment of eye injuries.

Foreign body in the eye and the risk of blindness

Foreign body in the eye (pollen, midges, pollen) is usually easy to remove by yourself, and temporary irritation wears off quickly. In the event of a foreign body sticking into the eye, quick ophthalmic assistance is necessary, and the prognosis depends on the type of injury - what and how it stuck in the eye and how quickly specialist assistance was provided.

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