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SCRATCHED EYE
Little babies love to explore their face with their hands. Unfortunately,
the combination of sharp nails and curious fingers is a set up for a scratched
eye.
FIVE SIGNS YOUR BABY HAS A SCRATCHED EYE
Red eye – the "whites" of the eye will be very sore and red.
Excessive tears
Suddenly fussy – your baby is happy one moment, then suddenly becomes very
fussy and difficult to console for many hours.
Scratch marks around the eye
Symptoms in only one eye
DIAGNOSIS
Your doctor will perform a fluoroscene eye exam if a scratched eye is
suspected. Fluoroscene is a harmless and painless orange dye that your doctor
will put in the eye. He then will shine a fluorescent light into the eyes. If
there is a scratch, the dye will stick to the scratch and this will show up
under the fluorescent light.
TREATMENT
Eye patch – your doctor will place this over the eye to keep it
closed. This allows the scratch to heal. It is generally left on for two days
Antibiotic ointment – your doctor will place this in the eye before
the patch is put on. This keeps the scratch from getting infected. The
ointment is repeated every 12 – 24 hours.
Follow up – depending on the size of the scratch, your doctor may or
may not repeat the eye exam in two or three days. If the scratch is still
present, a visit to an eye doctor is usually warranted.
WHEN TO WORRY
If you suspect your child has an eye scratch, don't worry! Most eye
scratches are not too serious and will heal perfectly with proper treatment. It
should be evaluated within 4 – 6 hours. So if it's the middle of the night, you
can wait until morning. If it's day or early evening, it is probably prudent to
seek medical attention that day.
AskDrSears.com is intended to help parents become better informed consumers
of health care. The information presented in this site gives general advice
on parenting and health care. Always consult your doctor for your individual
needs.