EYE, FOREIGN BODY IN

 

Symptoms | When to call | Homecare Advice

 

HOME CARE ADVICE FOR EYE FOREIGN BODIES

 

Treatment for Numerous Particles such as dirt or sand)

  • Clean around the eye with a wet washcloth first.
  • Place your eye under a gently running faucet or shower. Hold the eyelid open while you do this.
  • Or, try to open and close the eye repeatedly while submerging that side of the face in a pan of water.

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.

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 does not work, try pouring water on the speck while pulling the lower lid out.

Treatment for a Particle Under the Upper Lid

  • If particle cannot 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.

 

  1. Treatment For Numerous Particles (such as dirt or sand):
    • Clean around the eye with a wet washcloth first.
    • Then have your child try to open and close the eye repeatedly while submerging that side of the face in a pan of water.
    • If your child is too young to cooperate with this, fill a glass or pitcher with warm tap water.  Pour the water into the eye while holding your child face up. The eyelids must be held open during the irrigation and this usually requires the help of another person.
  2. Treatment for a Particle in a Corner of the Eye:
    • Try to get it out with a moistened cotton swab, the corner of a moistened cloth, or a small piece of Scotch tape.
  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 holding the lid out.
  4. Treatment for a Particle Under the Upper Lid:
    • If the particle can't be seen, it's probably under the upper lid, the most common hiding place.
    • Try having your child open and close the eye several times while it is submerged in a pan or bowl of water.  If you have an eye cup, use it.
    • 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. Contacts:  Children with contact lenses need to switch to glasses temporarily (reason: to prevent damage to the cornea).
  6. Expected Course:  The discomfort, redness and excessive tearing usually pass 1 to 2 hours after the FB is removed.
  7. Reassurance:  The FB will always stay in the front part of the eye. Some parents needlessly worry that the foreign body can get lost behind the eyeball. This is impossible, since the space beyond the eyelids goes back 1/4 inch and then stops (ie, it's a dead end).
  8. Call Your Doctor If:
    • This approach does not remove all the foreign material from the eye (i.e., if 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.
    • Your child becomes worse.

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.

Pediatric SelfCareNavigator. Copyright © 2000-2004 Barton Schmitt, M.D. FAAP

Reviewed 8/2004

Revised 7/2004

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