If you get a foreign body inside your eye, then you know how painful it can be. Some debris is easy to get out of your eye, but other things may become embedded in the soft tissue. When this happens, you need to visit a walk-in medical clinic, see your primary care doctor, or even go to the emergency room. Here are some things to expect when you visit a walk-in clinic for a foreign body stuck in your eye.
Dye And Blue Light Exam
Even though you know you have something in your eye, you or the physician may be unable to see it. Because of this, the doctor will place a small amount of orange dye inside your eye. Next, they will examine your eye with a slit lamp and special blue light.
The combination of the orange dye and blue light will help illuminate the object so that the physician can extract it. Before the doctor attempts to remove the foreign object from inside of your eye, they will instill a numbing drop into the affected eye.
This anesthetic eye drop will numb your eye so that you won't feel any pain when the doctor removes the object that may be deeply embedded inside of your eye or inner eyelid. The doctor may also send you home with a small bottle of the numbing drops so that you can use them if you feel any pain afterward.
Patching And Antibiotics
After the foreign body has been successfully removed from your eye, the doctor may instill antibiotic drops or place a "ribbon" of antibiotic ointment into the subconjunctival space. This is the space that you see when you pull down your lower eyelid.
After the medication has been placed inside your eye, your eye may be covered with a patch or sterile gauze dressing to prevent injury. Another reason for a patch or dressing is that so your eye can rest while it is healing. The clinic physician may recommend that you make a follow-up appointment with your primary care physician or eye doctor in a couple of days or so.
If you get something stuck in your eye, especially if your eye is painful, swollen, or red, or if your vision is impaired, seek prompt medical attention. The sooner your eye is treated, the less likely you will be to develop an infection or long-term vision problems.
For more information, contact a local walk-in medical clinic.