Eye Injuries

What are common eye injuries?

Although most people know they’ve suffered an eye injury the moment it happens, it isn’t always easy to tell how serious an injury might be or how serious it can become if it doesn’t receive proper care. Common eye injuries include:

Corneal abrasions

A corneal abrasion, or scratched eye, can happen if you rub your eye when sand, dust, or any other potentially abrasive foreign body. It can also be the result of an accidental eye poke.

Besides causing pain, redness, and sensitivity to light, this uncomfortable injury can leave you prone to bacterial and fungal infections.

Chemical burns

This type of injury can happen when a chemical comes in contact with your eye. If an acidic chemical is unexpectedly splashed or blown into your eye, it can sting and cause considerable burning, blurriness, and redness, but it can usually be flushed out with relative ease.

If an alkali substance like toilet bowl cleaner or chalk dust comes in contact with your eye, it’s less likely to cause immediate pain and redness, but it can be much harder to flush out completely.

Subconjunctival hemorrhages

A subconjunctival hemorrhage, or eye bleeding, is a painless injury that happens when breaks in the blood vessels just beneath the clear covering of your eye cause blood to leak into the white of your eye.

This type of injury, which typically looks worse than it is, usually heals on its own without treatment.

What’s a retinal detachment?

Retinal detachment is an internal and often spontaneous eye injury that happens when the vitreous, a clear, gellike substance that fills the center of your eye, begins to detach itself from your retina, the thin tissue that controls central, peripheral, and color vision.

Retinal detachment can be brought on by age-related changes in your eye, or it can be caused by excess eye strain. Less commonly, it can be the result of a traumatic eye injury. Common symptoms include:

• Shadows, or “floaters,” that move across your field of vision
• The sensation of seeing lightning streaks or flashing lights
• Shadowy movements that appear in your peripheral vision
• A gray “curtain” that moves across your field of vision

Although floaters and flashing lights can be a sign of a less problematic condition, if they’re severe or happen suddenly, you could be experiencing a retinal tear or complete detachment.

Why is proper treatment so important?

If you’ve suffered an eye injury or you’re experiencing any type of symptom that leads you to believe your eye could have some type of spontaneous internal damage, you should call the team at Benjamin Optical as soon as possible.

Even if your problem seems minor at first, many eye injuries worsen without proper care. The experts at Benjamin Optical can advise you on steps you should take at home to minimize damage and whether you should come in for a medical evaluation. While eye bleeding can heal on its own, a problem like retinal detachment usually requires surgery to prevent vision loss.

To learn more about eye injury care, call your nearest Benjamin Optical office or schedule an appointment online today.