Your eye lids are designed to protect the more sensitive inner parts. The sclera and cornea protect your eyes from dust, bacteria and foreign particles by keeping them from entering your eyes. The way your eyes are embedded in the socket of your skull protects them from many injuries or falls which you can sustain any time.
However, your eye can get injured when you sustain a serious blow, cut, or something penetrates deep into the sclera or cornea.
Here are the three most common eye injuries.
A Blow or Hit to the Eye
A blow or strike with a hard object, fist, or a fall can injure your eye. The eyelids, muscles, and bone surrounding your eyes get damaged. If there is a mild injury, your eye would appear purple/black and swollen. If there is bleeding in your eyes, you should consult a doctor. For a mild injury, you can apply an ice cube or ice pack to your eye and that may be enough. If there is a red spot in your eye, it is caused by bleeding. Consult your doctor in case of bleeding.
If a blow or hit is very serious, the bones surrounding your eyes can break. In some cases, the muscles of your eye get trapped between the broken bones. You would probably need surgery to repair the broken bone or bones. A severe case could lead to traumatic iritis or hyphema.
Penetration of a Foreign Object under the Eye
Wood shavings, metal shavings, grains of sand or shards of glass can penetrate your eye. If a sharp object penetrates your eye, it could scratch your cornea and cause permanent damage. You need to visit the emergency room as soon as possible.
If you try to remove the object yourself, you can further damage your eye. If the object is metallic, it can cause a rust ring or a prominent scar in your eye.
A Scratch or Cut
You can get a cut or scratch from a fingernail, or a twig or leaf. As a result, your cornea gets scratched. If a scratch is a mild one, it heals on its own. You might feel tears welling up, some pain, redness and light sensitivity at the time you get a scratch.
Deeper cuts or scratches may lead to a corneal abrasion. Your eye feels severe pain with redness and light sensitivity. Corneal abrasion makes your eye more susceptible to infection. Foreign particles, like sand, dust, bacteria, and fungus can easily penetrate the cornea.
The infection could be very serious and might lead to severe damage. If the source of the cut or scratch is very dirty or contaminated, your eye could suffer more. You need to immediately see a doctor or an emergency room when you get a scratch before it gets worse.
Final Thoughts
Eye injuries are potential emergencies. Never take an eye injury lightly. Your eyes are the only source of sight. If an injury isn’t treated at the right time, you might lose your vision forever. Immediately visit a doctor or emergency room, if you get an eye injury.
