What Should I Do If Something Is Stuck in My Eye
A natural tendency to touch your eye when something gets in it can make an uncomfortable situation worse. While rubbing your eye may seem like the right thing to do, keeping your hands off makes more sense. An object as tiny as a speck of dirt or an eyelash can cause discomfort that you naturally want to remove as soon as possible. However, rubbing your eyes can cause scratches on your cornea or make the object harder to reach. You can choose safer ways for foreign body removal that relieve the irritation.
Finding the Object with Gentle Care
When you feel something in your eye, your first reaction makes you want to do something immediately. Hasty action does not work out well, however. Instead, a logical set of steps can let you identify the problem and decide if you need help.
- Take some time to start the process by washing your hands with warm soapy water for 20 seconds. It may seem like forever when you stand at the sink, but singing can make the time seem shorter. You may know the happy birthday song takes 20 seconds to sing. So does the chorus to Jolene or the ABC song. Protect your eyes from infections that can make you sick just by washing your hands.
- Find a mirror in a well-lighted area where you can see your eye clearly.
- Look away from the area where you think the object lies.
- If you open your eyes as wide as possible, it helps you see anything that shows up.
- Next, gently pull down your lower eyelid and look on the pink tissue for anything that does not belong there.
- Carefully fold your upper eyelid around a sterile cotton swab to see if anything hides under it. Make sure the swab does not touch the inside of your eye.
Preparing to Find a Small Object that Poses No Danger
- Use clean water to flush your eyes for about 10 – 15 minutes.
- Pull your upper eyelid over the lower one and let go to remove anything stuck underneath it.
- You may use a sterile cotton swab to remove an object on the pink tissue of your lower eyelid. Make sure not to touch your eyeball with the swab.
Coping with an Embedded Object
- If the object seems minor, you can restrict eye movement by taping a bandage over your eye. The protection reduces your chances of touching it.
- Cover your eye with a paper cup and tape it in place until you get to the doctor’s office in Suncoast Crossings. The cup protects your eye if you have a large object embedded in it.
Recovering from a Chemical in Your Eye
- Use the water to flush your eye for at least 15 minutes.
- Call Dr. Christopher Tumolo, an Odessa Optometrist, for emergency assistance to let him know you need to come in.
- Take the label of the chemical with you if you can. At least check the name of it for the doctor.
Removing Glass or Wood
A rough or sharp object in your eye can cause much more than pain, and an Odessa Optometrist offers your best chance of reducing the damage.
- Make no attempt to remove the object at home.
- Keep your damaged eye closed with a taped-down bandage.
- Increase the protection by taping a paper cup over your bandaged eye.
Recapping the Reasons to Call the Eye Doctor
You may feel stunned and concerned if something gets stuck in your eye, a very normal reaction. The first inclination to make it better makes you want to rub it, but you must resist that urge.
Instead, take a moment to understand the situation you face. Then, consider your best course of action. You need to visit Dr. Christopher Tumolo at Beyond 2020 Vision Specialists in the Suncoast Crossings shopping center when any of these events happen:
- Glass, wood, or a chemical gets in your eye.
- You cannot remove small objects like dirt or dust.
- A sharp object pierced a hole in your eye.
- Your eye bleeds.
- Time has not made your eye feel better after you remove the foreign object.
- Your vision seems different somehow.
- You cannot close your eyes.
Finding Emergency Eye Care Locally
Residents of Odessa Fl, Trinity, Cheval, and surrounding communities can find Beyond 2020 Vision Specialists at 16230 State Road 54 in Suncoast Crossings shopping center next to the Suncoast Parkway. The convenient location gives you access to foreign body removal when you need it without a long drive to Tampa. Dr. Tumolo offers kind and compassionate care with exceptional knowledge and professionalism.
