Remove Something from Your Eye

Having something lodged in your eye is never pleasant, regardless of the size or origin of the debris. If you have a smaller speck of grit or something similar in your eye, you can remove it naturally by blinking rapidly. If that doesn’t work, flush your eye or use a clean cotton swab to attempt removing it. Never rub your eye in an attempt to remove something from your eye. And if you have something in your eye that causes severe irritation, don’t attempt to remove it yourself.

Steps

Removing Something on Your Own

  1. Blink your eyes rapidly. When you get dust, hair, or another small foreign body stuck in your eye, your body’s natural response is to blink. Blinking rapidly may help move the debris, and allow any tears that may form to clear it out. The more you blink and cry, the better chance you have of removing the particle.
    • To blink, rapidly open and close your eye.
    • Although you may feel silly crying, the tears will naturally wash out the debris.
  2. Place your upper eyelid over your lower eyelid. If you’re attempting to remove something stuck beneath your eyelid, close the affected eye and gently pinch the skin of your upper eyelid. Pull the upper eyelid down slightly over the lower one. Roll your affected eye around in its socket. With luck, this motion will loosen and dislodge something in your eye.[1]
  3. Avoid rubbing your eyes. It is often instinctual to rub your eye when something has gotten into it, but this can actually be quite dangerous. If you rub your eye, the trapped particle might be pushed beneath your eyelid or scratch your cornea. If this occurs, you could suffer permanent eye damage, along with a lot of pain. Therefore, do not apply pressure or rub your eyes when removing something from your eye.[2]

Removing Something With Assistance

  1. Wash the eye with eye solution. Commercially available eye wash solutions are useful for dislodging something from your eye. Eye wash solutions differ in their application process. Some use indirect application by filling a small eye cup with solution, then covering your eye with the eye cup and tilting your head back. Other solutions use a direct method, in which you will tilt your head back, then drip or squirt solution directly from the bottle into your eye.[3]
  2. Rinse your eyes with water. If you have an eye cup (used for rinsing eyes), use that to wash out your eyes with cool, clean water. Otherwise, use a small bowl or cup full of water and splash the water into your open eye. You can also place your open eye under a gently-pouring faucet or shower to rinse it out.[3]
  3. Place a cotton swab behind the upper eyelid. Gently pinch your upper eyelid and lift it up slightly from the eye. Slip the cotton swab gently behind the eyelid and slowly roll your eye toward the back of your head. Remove the swab and check to see if you still feel something in your eye. If you’re unsure, you could also check the surface of the cotton swab for something.[4]
  4. Use a cotton swab to remove the object. If, after rinsing your eye with solution and/or water, you can still feel something in your eye, use a cotton swab to get it out. Always wipe in a gentle up or down motion, and never swipe across the eye.[3]
    • To protect your cornea, look in the direction opposite the place where something is lodged in your eye. For instance, if something is in the right side of your eye, look toward the left.
    • Check the cotton swab after each attempt at removal. If your cotton swab was white, you should be able to see it on the cotton swab after it’s been removed.
  5. Have a friend help you. If you’re having difficulty getting the particle out of your eye and can’t see it in a mirror, you should turn to a friend for help. Hold your eyelids open and allow your friend to check for the presence of something. Move your eye around so your friend can see its entire surface.[4]
    • If you are comfortable with it, you may want to have them use a cotton swab to dab the offending object out of your eye. Alternately, you might invite them to administer eye drops or a cup of water to flush the eye.

Removing Large/Dangerous Objects

  1. Identify symptoms indicating you need medical care. If your eye is irritated by anything larger than a small speck, you might need a doctor to help you remove it. Pain is the most obvious sign that something in your eye is more than a mild irritant, though sometimes something in your eye can cause serious damage even in the absence of pain. Other symptoms to watch for include visible changes to the color of the eye, bleeding, abnormal vision, or discharge from the eye.[2]
    • Alternately, if you simply cannot dislodge the foreign body from your eye, you should also consider this cause to see a medical professional.
  2. Seek medical attention. Once you’ve identified something in your eye as a serious issue, contact a doctor. Larger foreign bodies must be removed by a doctor or medical professional. If the item is stuck inside of the eye, minor surgery may be required to remove it.[5] Otherwise, the doctor may numb your eye and pull out the object, giving you an eye patch to protect it afterwards as it heals.[6]
  3. Do not attempt to remove objects embedded in the eye. If you have a shard of glass or something else that has punctured your eye, avoid attempts to remove it yourself. You might do more damage in your attempt at removal. Instead, get to a doctor for medical aid.[7]
    • Carefully cover the eye with an eye patch until you see a doctor.

Tips

  • Never poke or touch your pupils with your fingers.
  • Wash your hands before placing them near your eye or eyelid. If you have a friend helping you, insist that they do likewise.[7]
  • Make sure you use clean water to flush something from your eye.

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/how-to-remove-sand-or-dust-particle-from-your-eye-t0216/
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0072768/
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 http://www.bausch.com/your-eye-concerns/eye-injuries/foreign-objects-eye-irritants
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 http://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/emergencies-and-first-aid-removing-a-speck-from-the-eye
  5. ↑ http://www.bausch.com/your-eye-concerns/eye-injuries/foreign-objects-eye-irritants
  6. ↑ http://www.kirkeyecenter.com/patient-education/first-aid-something-in-your-eye/
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 http://www.mayoclinic.org/first-aid/first-aid/basics/art-20056645
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