Sensation of a foreign body in the eye

Human eyes are not sufficiently protected, and there is a very real threat of objects getting into them that should not be there: a grain of sand, a small insect, a piece of wood, glass or plastic, etc. The sensation of a foreign body in the eye is familiar to almost everyone. A sharp gust of wind and all the eyes are covered with sand.

What should you do to get rid of this discomfort as quickly as possible without harming the organ of vision itself?

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Causes of Foreign Body Sensation in the Eye

This unpleasant sensation is caused by nerve endings located on the cornea of the eye, which is the front, protective layer of the eyeball. The tissue components of the organ of vision are simply dotted with nerve receptors - they are the ones that let the body know that a foreign body has entered the eye and the surface of the eye is damaged. The reasons for the sensation of a foreign body in the eye can be as follows: •

Physical trauma.

• Direct penetration of a foreign object. There are many professions that are most susceptible to such injuries. These are lumberjacks, stonemasons, carpenters, welders and many others. The lack of special protective glasses especially increases the risk of pathology. But this does not mean that the average person, not burdened with such a profession, is insured against getting the sensation of a foreign body in the eye.
• Chemical eye injury. The cornea can be damaged by contact with volatile chemicals (a chemical burn can occur).
• The climate aspect of the problem. If there is a strong wind outside, then, if possible, it is better to wait out the bad weather at home. This cannot be done - you need to try to protect your eyes. Ideally, this means putting on protective glasses.
• The sensation of a foreign body in the eye can be caused by lenses, which modern people wear quite actively. Discomfort can be provoked by ignoring the basic rules of their storage and wearing: poor sanitization, not very careful "putting on" and taking off. Small wounds can appear, and they are what prompt the occurrence of such a sensation.
• Water vapor, a drop of boiling water or hot oil can also cause injury that causes discomfort. A small point burn can create an unpleasant sensation. Therefore, it is necessary to be very careful in the kitchen when working with cutting objects and hot products.
• Various ophthalmological diseases.

Symptoms of Foreign Body Feeling in the Eye

Once on the cornea, a foreign object causes quite unpleasant discomfort. Symptoms of a foreign body sensation in the eye:

• Increased lacrimation.
• Moderate pain is observed.
• A burning, tingling sensation appears.
• Excessive irritating sensitivity to daylight, manifested by corneal burning and tearfulness.
• Hyperemia of the area of interest can be observed.
• In some cases, you may experience a deterioration in the clarity of your vision.
• Blepharospasm is an uncontrolled contraction of the circular eye muscles. It often occurs as a response of the body to pain.

Some objects, such as glass or metal shavings, when they enter the visual organ can damage not only the outer epithelial layer, but also deeper tissues (stroma). Such damage is more serious and, if immediate assistance is not provided, provokes the development of an inflammatory process, and subsequently swelling of the stratum corneum and hyperemia of the conjunctiva. If the cause of irritation is not immediately eliminated, tissue infection may occur. In particularly advanced cases, failure to provide timely assistance can cause irreversible necrotic processes in the tissues, which invariably leads to complete or partial loss of vision.

Such symptoms can continue to manifest for some time after the removal of the foreign object, until the irritation completely disappears.

Diagnosis of foreign body sensation in the eye

In most cases, diagnosing the sensation of a foreign body in the eye is not particularly difficult.

The conclusion about pathology itself is based on:

• On processing the victim's complaints.
• Results of the ophthalmological examination.
• The ophthalmologist usually very gently pulls down the upper and lower eyelids alternately to ensure that there are no foreign substances in these areas.

If the object has penetrated deeply and the destruction has affected not only the epithelial layer, the diagnosis of the sensation of a foreign body in the eye becomes somewhat more complicated. In this case, the following research methods are added:

• Visual acuity testing.
• Radiographic method of examining the eye orbit.
• Biomicroscopy is a method of meticulously testing eye tissues and structures using specially developed medical equipment – a slit lamp.
• Diaphanoscopy of the eye and its appendages is the illumination of eye tissues with a source of transmitted light.
• Ultrasound diagnostics.
• Test visualization using an ophthalmoscope.
• Gonioscopy is a technique for analyzing the angular zone of the anterior chamber, hidden behind the translucent tissue of the cornea (limbus), which is performed using a gonioscope and a special slit-shaped light source.

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Treatment for Foreign Body Sensation in the Eye

The first thing you need to do when starting treatment for the sensation of a foreign body in the eye is to carefully and quickly remove the foreign object from the eye area. If this is not a particularly severe case that requires immediate intervention by an ophthalmologist, then you need to provide first aid to yourself.

There are several ways to remove the body for this:

• You can take a clean handkerchief, which any self-respecting person should have. And with the tip very carefully try to get the object, moving it beyond the eye.
• You can do the same with a wet towel.
• People with particularly “thin tears” can try to wash away the speck with a tear.
• A deep vessel with clean water will do for this case. You need to dip your face in it: try opening and closing your eyes under water several times. This method will allow you to wash your eyes.

If a more severe case of corneal damage is observed, then it becomes necessary to use anesthetics, special eye drops that have an anesthetic effect. For this role, for example, a 0.25% solution of dicaine is suitable.

Dicaine is a highly effective strong drug, a local anesthetic. Its activity level significantly exceeds that of cocaine and novocaine. The drug is perfectly absorbed by the mucous membrane, but at the same time it is quite toxic, which is twice as high as this parameter for cocaine and ten times higher than for novocaine. This characteristic requires special caution in using dicaine.

The medicine is administered to the affected eye in two to three drops. In this case, the ophthalmologist may prescribe, depending on the case, a different concentration of the drug: it may be a 0.25%, 0.5%, 1.0% or 2.0% solution, which is additionally diluted with 0.1% adrenaline hydrochloride. The "diluent" is taken at the rate of three to five drops of adrenaline per 10 ml of the dicaine drug. The resulting mixture is used either as drops or as a lubricant for the mucous membrane of the eye.

Contraindications include the patient’s general severe condition or age under 10 years.

This solution is applied to the eyes and only after the anesthetic has taken effect do they begin to eliminate the object that has gotten into the eye. All materials used for this procedure must be sterile: distilled water, cotton swabs. The swab is dipped in water and the eye is very carefully wiped with it. The movements must be smooth, in one direction.

If there is a sensation of a foreign body in the eye, but the cause is not visible because it is small, special eye drops containing a specific coloring agent, fluorescein, are dripped into the damaged eye. This reagent makes it possible to see the foreign body and remove it easily.

After removal, the ophthalmologist evaluates the degree of damage to the corneal layer. If it is insignificant, an eye ointment with antibiotics, such as neomycin or neosporin, is prescribed.

Neomycin dressings should be applied for two to three days. The ointment is applied directly to the affected area, you can squeeze a little onto a bandage swab and apply it to the affected area. The bandage with the ointment should be changed from one to five times a day (as prescribed by the doctor). At one time, at a concentration of 0.5%, the drug can be used in an amount of 25 to 50 g, if the ointment has a concentration of 2%, the dose is reduced to 5 - 10 g. In this case, the daily dosage should not exceed 50 - 100 g (0.5% concentration) and 10 - 20 g (at a concentration of 2%).

Contraindications for the use of this drug include individual intolerance to the components of the drug, including other aminoglycosides.

Neosporin - the drug is applied in a thin layer to the affected area one to three times a day. A bandage should be applied on top. It is not worth using large doses or a greater number of dressing changes - it will not be possible to increase the effectiveness anyway, but it is quite possible to get negative side symptoms. But if an overdose of the drug is accidentally received, you must urgently contact your doctor for help.

If the damage to the corneal tissue is significant, then after removing the foreign object from the eye, the doctor prescribes drops to the victim that allow the pupil to dilate. One of these medications may be a 1% solution for instillation of atropine sulfate (sulfate salt of the alkaloid atropine, used as an antispasmodic agent to stop spastic processes and, if necessary, allowing for medicinal mydriasis (pupil dilation)). In parallel with this, the patient is prescribed eye drops with antibiotics.

During this period, the victim must constantly apply a bandage to the eye, protecting it from the external infectious non-sterile environment and the irritating effects of sunlight.

The course of treatment usually lasts from three to five days.

If the foreign object has entered deep enough into the eye tissue, it is quite possible that there will be a need for classical microsurgical intervention.

It is advisable to entrust the removal of a foreign body to professionals, since independent attempts can only cause harm. Often, such actions subsequently lead to an intraocular infection, rough scars can form on the cornea, leading to a decrease in vision. By contacting a doctor at a specialized clinic, you can receive qualified outpatient care, directly in the doctor's office. And this will not take you very much time, but at the same time, the probability of preserving the eye and not losing vision is much higher.

Prevention of foreign body sensation in the eye

What can be said about this issue. Mostly, a foreign substance gets on the cornea when basic safety rules are not followed. Therefore, prevention of the sensation of a foreign body in the eye is, first of all, not ignoring, but following all the rules that allow you to protect your face, including your eyes, from the negative impact of external factors.

• If professionally necessary, special protective glasses or a helmet must be used to protect the eyes.
• Strictly observe all safety regulations.
• In case of climatic cataclysms (strong gusty wind, storm), at the slightest opportunity it is necessary to stay in a protected room; if this is not possible, it is necessary to protect the eyes in the same way as in the previous points.

Don't forget, in many ways, your health is in your hands.

Foreign Body Sensation in the Eye Prognosis

Everything depends on the degree and severity of the lesion, as well as on how timely the first medical aid was provided. Therefore, a favorable prognosis for the sensation of a foreign body in the eye is, first of all, the coordinated work of the patient and the ophthalmologist.

It has been said more than once that the reasons for the sensation of a foreign body in the eye can be quite different. Therefore, you should not put off visiting an ophthalmologist. It is necessary to carefully approach the choice of a specialized clinic where they will provide truly professional assistance, minimizing the negative consequences of this uncomfortable condition.

Don't delay in contacting a specialist, because it is much easier to lose your vision than to restore it later. And it is not a fact whether there will be a chance to see again!

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