EYE, FOREIGN BODY IN

 

Symptoms | When to call | Homecare Advice

 

HOME CARE ADVICE FOR EYE FOREIGN BODY

  1. Treatment for Numerous Particles (such as dirt or sand):
    • Clean around the eye with a wet washcloth first.
    • Try to open and close the eye repeatedly while submerging that side of the face in a pan of water.
  2. Treatment for a Particle in a Corner of the Eye:
    • Try to get it out with a moistened cotton swab or the corner of a moistened cloth.
  3. Treatment for a Particle Under the Lower Lid:
    • Pull the lower lid out by depressing the skin above the cheekbone.
    • Touch the particle with a moistened cotton swab.
    • If that doesn't work, try pouring water on the speck while pulling the lower lid out.
  4. Treatment for a Particle Under the Upper Lid:
    • If particle can't be seen, it's probably under the upper lid, the most common hiding place.
    • Try to open and close the eye several times while it is submerged in a pan or bowl of water.
    • If this fails, pull the upper lid out and draw it over the lower lid. This maneuver, and tears, will sometimes dislodge the particle.
  5. Expected Course: The discomfort, redness and excessive tearing usually pass 1 to 2 hours after the FB is removed.
  6. Contacts: Patients with contact lenses need to switch to glasses temporarily. (Reason: to prevent damage to the cornea.)
  7. Call Your Doctor If:
    • This approach does not remove all the foreign material from the eye  (i.e. the sensation of "grittiness" or pain persists).
    • Vision does not return to normal after the eye has been irrigated.
    • Foreign object has been removed, but tearing and blinking persist
    • You become worse or develop any of the "Call Your Doctor" symptoms.

Disclaimer: This information is not intended be a substitute for professional medical advice. It is provided for educational purposes only. You assume full responsibility for how you choose to use this information.

Adult SelfCareNavigator. Copyright © 2000-2004 David Thompson, M.D. FACEP

Reviewed 8/2004

Revised 8/2004

See Other Topics:

View Anatomic Index of Topics