A corneal tear or laceration can be extremely uncomfortable and painful. A tear is when the cornea is cut open entirely or partially and requires immediate surgical intervention as the cornea protects the iris and pupil. A laceration is a scratch that happens on the surface of the cornea due to a foreign object like a grain of sand.
Corneal tears require immediate medical attention, but there are certain things you can do to avoid further injury to your eye. These include:
- Do not attempt to wash your eye.
- Gently wear sunglasses as light makes the pain more intense.
- Do not rub the eye.
- Do not try to remove the object yourself.
- Do not take anti-inflammatory drugs as they thin the blood and thus cause more bleeding.
Once you reach the ophthalmologist, she will determine the full extent of the tear in the cornea. Using various diagnostic methods such as using a fluorescein eye stain to examine the eye clearly, she will be able to tell of the tear is a partial or full thickness laceration.
If your ophthalmologist diagnoses you with a partial thickness laceration, then it means that you have an abrasion and non-surgical methods of treatments should suffice in the healing of your eye. Some of the methods of treatment include:
- Antibiotic eye drops along with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory eye drop might be prescribed in order to keep down the inflammation and avoid scarring.
- Eye drops to stop the muscle spasms will reduce the pain and the sensitivity to light though you will experience blurring of vision. This is given only immediately after the injury as an SOS treatment.
- If there is evidence that the foreign object in the eye might have rust deposits, then you will be given a tetanus shot.
- Once you go home to recover, you will use only oral pain medication as the eye drops for pain management will interfere with the recovery if used long term.
If the tear is determined to be a full thickness laceration, then you will need immediate surgical attention in order to save the vision of the eye. Along with the severe pain, this type of laceration might be accompanied by bleeding, sensitivity to light, and a decrease in vision.
Corneal repair surgery is carried out in order to remove any foreign object in the eye as well as to repair and close the cut in the cornea. If the cut is severe, then several surgeries will have to be performed and there could even be a loss of vision in the eye.
If you are looking for corneal tear repair treatment in Mumbai, then there are several options available as the city has some of the biggest names in the ophthalmology world. Getting yourself a doctor consultation in the city should not be too difficult as there are many world-class hospitals who employ excellent ophthalmologist. Your doctor should talk to you about what to expect and also give you options for corneal tear repair surgery in Mumbai. You should choose the surgeon you are most comfortable with.
If you suffer from an eye injury, remember that it is paramount that you get it checked immediately or the chances of losing vision in the eye are very high. Rush to the emergency room with a family member or friend and follow the doctors’ orders to the letter.