General information
Foreign body injuries (foreign bodies in the eye) occur relatively frequently in ophthalmology. The patient usually complains of a suddenly appearing foreign body sensation with simultaneous strong tear formation. In many cases, the patient can remember the situation and can possibly tell the doctor what and how a foreign body entered his eye.
Dust, small particles of soot or flies are usually rubbed out by the patients themselves or flushed out by the incipient lacrimation. The decisive factor here is whether the cornea was injured when the foreign body hit the eye. Even small scratches can cause severe symptoms and make an ophthalmological examination necessary.
The danger of superficial corneal damage is that friction is created at the point where the cornea is raised microscopically small, which can damage other areas of the cornea. In the case of very severe corneal defects, there is even sometimes the need for surgical corneal transplantation. To prevent this, patients should first try to irrigate the eye.
If possible, the foreign body should be rinsed with an eye wash bottle. If none is available, the eye should be held under a water source and rinsed without rubbing. If there are already small cracks or scratches in the cornea, the discomfort will most likely not disappear even after rinsing.
Most foreign bodies can be rinsed out of the eye with water. Before attempting to rinse the foreign body out of the eye, you should wash your hands to ensure that no further foreign bodies enter the eye. The eye should be rinsed from the outside to the inside, towards the nose, with clean running water.
It is important that sharp-edged or pointed foreign bodies (for example, glass or metal splinters) are not removed by yourself. Foreign objects that are stuck should also not be removed by yourself. In this case you should cover the eye with a sterile cloth and consult a doctor as soon as possible to avoid injuries.
You should not try to remove a foreign body in the eye with all means to avoid injury. It is also advisable not to rub the eye. If you have unsuccessfully tried to remove or rinse out the foreign body from the eye, you should cover the eye with a sterile cloth and quickly see a doctor who will examine the eye for injury and remove the foreign body.
An ophthalmologist should be consulted if pointed or sharp-edged foreign bodies have entered the eye. Here one should not try to remove them with one’s own hands, in order not to injure the eye. The eye should be covered with a sterile cloth until the doctor arrives. A doctor should also be consulted if there is a foreign body sensation in the eye after a foreign body has been removed in order to rule out injuries, for example to the cornea. In addition, a doctor should be consulted if it is not possible to remove the foreign body by yourself.
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