Foreign bodies under the upper eyelid

Foreign bodies can get under the upper eyelid as well as under the lower eyelid when they enter the eye. You can try to remove a foreign object under the upper eyelid of the eye by slightly lifting the upper eyelid by the lashes. For example, you can try to remove the foreign body with a clean cloth or rinse it with water. Again, it is important not to remove stuck or pointed foreign bodies yourself, but to consult a doctor as soon as possible and cover the eye sterilely as long as possible.

Foreign bodies under the lower eyelid

Foreign bodies can get under the lower eyelid as well as under the upper eyelid of the eye. If a foreign object has gotten under the lower eyelid of the eye, one can try to pull the lower eyelid slightly downwards and remove the foreign object with a clean cloth from the outside to the inside. It is important not to rub, in order not to injure the eye.

Alternatively, the eye can be rinsed from the outside to the inside with clean water to remove the foreign body. If the foreign body is pointed or sharp-edged or if it is stuck, one should not try to remove it and consult a physician promptly. Until then the eye should be covered with a sterile cloth.

The ophthalmologist applies anaesthetic eye drops and fluorescent eye drops into the eye and then shines a blue light into it. This allows him to see the smallest scratches, which light up yellow. The treatment is carried out with antibiotic-containing eye ointment or eye drops, which must be taken by the patient for several days.

This is followed by a control examination by the ophthalmologist.If there is a foreign body in the eye, the ophthalmologist has to ectropion the eye, i.e. he lets the patient look down and puts the eyelid up, which gives him a better view of the eye (foreign body in the eye). In case of penetration, i.e. injury by sharp objects falling into the eye or penetrating the eye and getting stuck, the object has to be left in place and an immediate emergency admission to the eye clinic has to be made (foreign body in the eye). The eye should not be examined manually and no ointments should be applied.

If possible, a sterile dressing should be applied to the eye. Only in the eye clinic can the object be removed by surgery and the damage caused diagnosed. If an object has hit the eye and opened the eyeball, a sterile dressing must be applied and the wound closed as quickly as possible by the Eye Clinic.

An opened eyeball can be recognized, for example, by a displaced iris (the iris is no longer round, but oval or distorted). The danger of delayed wound closure is a so-called endophthalmitis (an inflammatory reaction of the eye to an infection). Injuries caused by blunt objects can be caused, for example, by expanders or rubber bands that purr into the eye or by shooting bottle corks.

Depending on the type of foreign body in the eye or whether the eye has been injured by the foreign body, the doctor may consider it necessary to administer an antibiotic ointment or drops into the eye for a few days to prevent infection. A homeopathic treatment should always be discussed with the treating physician in case of a foreign body in the eye. For example, Arnica C30 can be taken as globules.