All it takes is a little sand in your eye or too many hours wearing your contact lenses and you could end up with a scratched cornea. Although that might sound dreadful, it usually doesn’t even cause any noticeable symptoms unless it gets infected. At that point, you’ll definitely know something is up and will likely need to seek prompt care to get your eye to heal up right. Thankfully, our team at Lifetime Vision Center is here to help. Just let us know you need emergency eye care in Grand Forks, North Dakota, upon noticing any of the following symptoms.
Pain and Swelling
If a corneal abrasion causes symptoms, it often feels like a piece of debris is stuck in your eye. When the sensation goes beyond minor discomfort to actual pain, the scratch might be getting infected. Swelling often occurs as the pain worsens, although inflammation can arise if you rub your eye trying to get the suspected debris out.
Difficulty Seeing Clearly
With an infected abrasion right on your cornea, you’ll undoubtedly have a hard time seeing clearly. Your vision may look blurry after infection sets in — even if you normally have 20/20 vision. When your eyes start tearing up, the blurriness will get worse, leaving you unable to complete your normal daily activities.
Light Sensitivity
Light sensitivity often follows the pain and swelling, causing you to clamp your eye shut as bright lights shine your way. You might even find it impossible to leave the dark room without your eye tearing up and weeping uncontrollably. At that point, not even sunglasses will help. Your eye doctor may have you wear an eye patch to shield your eye from light until the antibiotics heal the infection.
If you do notice that you have something in your eye, you can potentially avoid getting a corneal abrasion by coming into see your emergency eye doctor right away. Otherwise, you just need to act fast if you experience any of the above symptoms. Either way, you can schedule your visit by giving us call at 701-746-6745. Upon receiving your call, we’ll help you find a convenient time to come in to our Grand Forks vision center and get the care you need.