Last Updated on January 8, 2025 by
If you scratch your eye’s surface, also called the cornea, evaluate having laser eye surgery to prevent damage and begin healing. Flush your eye with clean water or saline solution to remove dust particles. Here are a few other steps polynucleotide to take after a corneal scratch:
Schedule an Eye Exam
An ophthalmologist can assess your injury under special lenses and lights. They have the expertise to gauge your corneal damage and check for debris that could lead to infections. Professionals can also prescribe antibiotics and anti-inflammatory eye drops to take as instructed for healing. Attend follow-up eye appointments to monitor progress and make adjustments. On a follow-up visit, ask about eye surgery to reduce your need for contacts or glasses.
Understand the Healing Process
A doctor will estimate how long the full healing process may take, which depends on your injury’s location and depth. The outer corneal layer can regenerate within a few days. Deeper scratches to inner layers take longer to mend. You may notice tearing, irritation, and focus issues until the cells replenish. Hormones and nutrient levels also impact repair speed.
Your doctor will assess your healing progress at each follow-up appointment. Vision tests check the resolving haze and swelling. Watch for any setbacks like increased pain, discharge, or compromised vision, which may signal an infection requiring supplemental treatment.
Explore Follow-up Care
Your eye doctor will recommend follow-up visits to confirm the healing of your scratched cornea. They may examine your eye and check vision, sensitivity, and other benchmarks at each appointment. Your doctor will also assess any leftover swelling or scarring that may impact your eyesight. They can adjust your prescribed healing regimen until you have recovered. Afterward, they may perform eye surgery to fix the vision issues. Follow-up visits are the only way to confirm your scratch has healed with no lasting damage.
Explore Laser Surgery
Laser vision correction reshapes the cornea’s curvature to improve the eye’s inability to focus light. After healing from a scratched cornea, surgery can create clear eyesight without requiring glasses or contacts. An eye doctor uses targeted laser pulses to reshape the tissue for enhanced optical clarity. After surgery, you see details more easily. Laser eye surgery is a permanent vision correction solution that reduces lens dependency.
Learn Procedure Benefits
Advanced laser and mechanical tools enable precise microsurgery to replace damaged corneal tissue. An eye doctor can remove corneal scarring to restore clear vision. Doctors perform various customized surgeries based on your vision needs. Total transplants give you a healthier donor cornea when all layers are irreversibly damaged. An eye surgeon can selectively replace only specific tissue layers while preserving the healthy stroma to retain your corneal strength.
Try Dry Eye Solutions
Acquired dry eye happens when your eyes stop making enough tears to keep the cornea lubricated. Some corneal repair drops may aggravate chronically dry eyes. Protect your vision by addressing any tear film dysfunction. Let your doctor know if you experience burning, scratchiness, light sensitivity, or fluctuating focus after healing from your original scratched cornea, as it may indicate dry eye.
Minor cases respond to artificial tear lubricating drops. More advanced dry eye may need prescription eye drops or ointments customized to remedy your tear deficiency. Treating underlying dry eye may enhance healing outcomes and sharpen your vision.
Schedule a Laser Eye Surgery Today
Schedule an eye exam to evaluate the damage to your cornea. Exploring options for laser eye surgery is one way to restore optimal vision. Prescription eye drops treating acquired tear deficiencies could help prepare your eyes for advanced laser procedures. With the right care, you can recover from a corneal scratch and learn more about enhancing your vision. Find a reputable eye doctor in your area today.