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Have you ever scratched or poked your eye with your makeup brush? Did something get under your eyelid, like dirt or dust? When you go to close your eye there is a chance you experienced a slight burning sensation. The answer to this uncomfortable feeling could be a corneal abrasion, you scratched your eye! Haute Beauty sat down with Haute Beauty experts to discuss how to treat a common eye injury, in the office and at home. Here is what they had to say:

Dr. Ami Shah Vira | Eyelid Surgery, Oculoplastic | Austin

With little ones running around my house, I’ve been poked in the eye more times than I can count. Common symptoms of a scratched eye (or a corneal abrasion) are tearing, foreign body sensation, dryness, light sensitivity, or increased pain with blinking.

Things to do: use artificial tears a lot (4-6 times a day and even more but, if you’re doing it more than 4-6 times a day switch to preservative-free artificial tears), stay out of your contacts!, call your eye doctor for an eye exam (make sure the scratch isn’t deeper), and rest (keeping your eye closed acts like a bandage).

Things NOT to do: use Visine, use old antibiotic drops from friends and family,  patch your eye shut (bugs like to grow in warm dark places). Your eye doctor may prescribe an antibiotic drop to prevent infection as the epithelium (or the skin of your cornea) grows back.

For more information on Dr. Shah visit his website, Instagram, or Facebook!

Dr. Viraj J. Mehta | Eyelid Surgery, Oculoplastic | DMV

Scratching your eye can be excruciatingly painful! Your cornea, which is the clear part of your eye, is one of the most sensitive parts of your entire body. This is why even having a tiny eyelash in the eye can be so irritating! The best thing to do is to simply avoid this injury in the first place, as severe injuries can lead to permanent vision loss. For example, wear eye protection while doing yard work, avoid sleeping in contact lenses, and try not to rub your eyes too much. Corneal abrasions can also happen during cosmetic surgeries, so it’s important to pick an Oculofacial Plastics specialist for any eyelid or eyebrow procedure as we work exclusively in and around the eyes and can minimize the risk of any damage.

If you do get an abrasion, the good news is that most of these heal very well and without any complications! Be sure to use over-the-counter artificial tears to keep the eye moisturized. It’s also okay to use pain medicine like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or ibuprofen for pain. Furthermore, covering or patching the eye can help. If symptoms persist for more than a day or so, or you have major vision changes, see your Ophthalmologist or Oculofacial Plastics surgeon as topical antibiotics may be needed.

For more information on Dr. Mehta, visit his website, Instagram, or Facebook!