Children’s Eye Injuries: ‘Foreign Body’ in the Eye | Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month

Whether it is an eyelash or dirt, most people get a little something in their eye occasionally. A foreign body in the eye is also common in children. For example, young children often play in the sand and rub their eyes, without realizing the sand may get in their eyes.

​Foreign body injuries most often involve the conjunctiva, which is the membrane that covers the eyeball. But children may also sustain a foreign body injury that involves the cornea. ​
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Foreign body injuries in children might be as minor as a little dirt in the eye or as serious as a fishhook. Certain foreign bodies may be easily taken care of at home, but in other cases, getting immediate medical help is essential. Let’s take a look at foreign bodies in the eye in more detail, so we know what’s no big deal and what’s an emergency.
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Types of Foreign Body Objects in the Eye

Anything that doesn’t naturally belong in the eye is considered a foreign body. According to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, certain foreign bodies tend to be the most common objects that injure the eye in children and include:
 
Sand or Dirt:
Sand and dirt are especially common in young children and affect the conjunctiva. This type of foreign body is usually not serious, but in some cases, it can scratch the cornea.
 
Metal or Woods Shavings:
Metal or wood shavings can blow into the eye on windy days when kids are playing outside. It’s also possible for wood shavings to get into the eye while kids are doing a woodworking project. Wood or metal shavings can lead to a corneal abrasion.
 
Makeup:
Girls that wear makeup may accidentally get mascara, eyeliner, or eyeshadow in their eyes. Foreign body injuries due to cosmetics usually only affect the conjunctiva.

Although less common, it’s also possible for other types of foreign bodies to get lodged into the eye. For example, fishing hooks and pellets from BB guns can get stuck in the eye. These types of foreign body injuries may be severe and require immediate medical attention. Typically, objects that enter in the eye at high speeds, such as a pellet, cause the most serious injuries.
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Signs & Symptoms of a Foreign-Body Eye Injury

Signs and symptoms of a foreign body in the eye may be obvious. If your child has a serious injury, the object may be easily seen. In other cases, the foreign body may be small and not readily spotted with the naked eye.
 
Signs and symptoms that your child has a foreign body in his eye include:

• Pain in the eye
• A feeling of pressure in the eye
• Excessive tearing
• Burning
• Excessive blinking

• Redness

 
Instances when foreign bodies penetrate the eye itself, such as a fishing hook or pellet, are uncommon. When an intraocular injury (an injury occurring in the eyeball) does occur, the injury is usually obvious. Penetrating (embedded) foreign body injuries to the eye may cause additional symptoms, such as bleeding and fluid draining from the eye.
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Diagnosis of Foreign-Body Eye Injuries in Children

There may be instances when a primary care provider or eye doctor should evaluate your child. A fluorescein stain will allow the doctor to view your child’s cornea and see any scratches, as well as locate any foreign objects, such as a metal or wood shavings. In this simple test, the doctor places dye into your child’s eye and uses a light to view and assess his or her cornea.
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Treatment of Foreign-Body Eye Injuries

Treatment of a foreign body in the eye will vary, depending on the object and the severity of the eye injury. A minor foreign-body eye injury from objects such as dirt, dust, or makeup may be treated at home.
 
Flushing the eye with warm water may help remove the foreign body. If you are unsure if you removed the object, or if symptoms such as discomfort, excess tearing, and blinking remain, it’s best to see a doctor.
 
While minor foreign bodies such as eyelashes and dust may be easily flushed out of the eye, other foreign bodies, including metal shavings, can be harder to get out. In such cases, it’s important to protect your child’s eye from further injury and get him or her to an eye doctor as soon as possible. The easiest way to protect your child’s eye is to tape a paper cup over the eye, so he or she cannot rub it.
 
After identifying the foreign body, your child’s doctor may flush the eye with saline or use a cotton swab to remove the object. If that does not work, your doctor may use other instruments to remove the foreign body. Antibiotic ointment will likely be prescribed to prevent infection, if your child has a corneal abrasion. In some cases, your child may need to wear an eye patch over the affected eye for about 24 hours.
 
Do not try to treat your child at home if an object is embedded in your child’s eye, particularly if it was propelled at a high rate of speed. Trying to remove such a foreign body in your child’s eye can lead to serious eye damage and permanent vision loss.
 
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s eyes, would like to schedule an appointment with one of our eye doctors, or ever need to see one of our eye doctors urgently or emergently, please call our office at 508-746-8600.
 
Please check back with us soon, as we continue with Children’s Eye Health & Safety Month, for our next post on “Children & Glasses”. Thanks for reading!