Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCommon TypesOpen vs. Closed GlobeSymptomsWhy Are Eye Injuries So Painful?Common CausesDiagnosisFirst AidWhen to Contact a ProviderPrevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Common Types
Open vs. Closed Globe
Symptoms
Why Are Eye Injuries So Painful?
Common Causes
Diagnosis
First Aid
When to Contact a Provider
Prevention
Eye injuries can occur due to many causes, including accidents (flying debris, falls, or vehicle collisions), chemicals, or radiation. The definition for the type of injury may involve the part of the eye involved. A corneal injury, for example, affects the cornea—the transparent dome over the colored portion of the eye.
Eye injuries can involve bruises, punctures, burns, and scratches. Even if they don’t seem severe, any of these can be very painful and some can cause permanent vision loss.
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Common Types of Eye Injuries
Black Eye
Blunt Eye Trauma
A blow to the area of the eye can cause bleeding under the skin and a black eye. It may also lead to swelling in the area, particularly of the lid, which can create pressure on the eye and cause damage. Blunt trauma may also cause bleeding in the eye (hyphema).
Even if the eye itself is not directly injured, if you have a skull fracture, this can cause bruising around the eyes.
Eye Burns
Burns to the eyes can result from chemicals, heat, and high-intensity light.
Many things can cause achemical burn. If flushed out quickly and thoroughly enough, they may not cause permanent damage to the eye. However, with some substances, such as bleach, oven cleaner, or battery acid, it may take a day or so to determine how extensive the damage is to the eye.
Hot air or steam blasts to the face can also cause eye burns. If you don’t wear light-filtering sunglasses, bright light from a sunlamp or that reflects off water or snow can burn the eyes and even cause temporary blindness.
Be sure to watch for signs of infection, such as pain and decreased vision, with any eye burn.
Eye Scratches
Also known as corneal abrasions, painful eye scratches can occur when there’s a tear to the clear outer layer if something rubs or tears this tissue off. This can often heal on its own in a couple of days.
Foreign Body Injuries
All kinds offoreign bodies can get in the eye, from a speck of sand or eyelash to flying debris, such as a shard of glass that can land on the surface and even become embedded. In some cases, this is something you can easily flush out on your own, but in others, it requires immediate medical attention.
Penetrating Injuries
In penetrating eye injuries, something penetrates the eye but does not work through to the other side (there is no exit wound).If there is also an exit wound, it is a perforating injury.
Open Globe Eye Injury vs. Closed Globe Eye Injury
With a closed globe injury, parts of the eye may have issues, but without a full-thickness wound to the eyewall.Examples include partial-thickness corneal abrasions.
Signs and Symptoms
After an accident involving the eye, here are some things to look for:
It can be surprising how painful an injury to the eye can be. That’s because of the number of nerves present in the eyes. In particular, the clear cornea is one of the most densely packed areas for nerves in the human body. So, even if you just get a nick here, you may be in a lot of pain.
Sports Injuries
Many sports involve some degree of risk for eye injuries. Common sports-related injuries include:
Workplace Hazards
While some occupations are riskier than others, eye injuries at work are all too common. About 20,000 eye injuries occur at work each year in the United States.In some cases, this may involve nothing more than eye strain, but in others, you may have to contend with the following:
Household and Yard Work
Even at home, you’re not necessarily safe from eye injuries. From cleaning the house to working in the yard or undertaking a home improvement project, you may face an eye injury. This can come from things such as these:
Fall and Collisions
Accidents can also lead to eye injuries, whether from a fall or some type of collision. Anyone can have a fall, but older people are particularly vulnerable.The most common eye injuries from falls include fractures of the orbit (the bones that surround the eye) or to the eye socket bone, as well as black eyes, eyelid damage, and tear gland issues.
Also, if you’re involved in a collision, such as a car accident, you may incur an eye injury. Common eye injuries from car collisions include corneal injuries,subconjunctival hemorrhages(broken blood vessels in the eye), bone fractures, and eyelid issues. In most cases, there is no change in vision.
Toys and Recreation
Eye injuries can also occur while at play. In fact, it is during entertainment and sports activities that almost 50% of eye injuries happen. Things that can cause eye damage here include:
The parts of the eye that are often hurt include the bones around the eye, the lids, and the tear drainage system.
Violence
Unfortunately, violence is another way that eye injuries can occur. Those who are survivors of domestic assault often suffer from orbital fractures, cuts on the eyelid and around the eye, and other injuries to the eye.
In most cases, children who suffer from eye trauma experience accidents, but sometimes violence is the source. For children,retinal hemorrhages from being shakenare the most common ocular injury for those with abusive head trauma.
You can expect to undergo a full eye exam if you have an eye injury. In addition to a standard eye exam, the eye doctor (ophthalmologist or optometrist) will also examine your eyes with theslit lamp, which after dilating (widening) your pupils. This allows them to look at the structures inside your eyes for any damage.
During such an exam, it’s common to use fluorescein dye to make it easier to detect injuries.
Every eye injury should be taken seriously. You may be able to use first aid for minor issues before seeing a healthcare provider.
Some tips for handling minor eye injuries to consider are:
When to Contact a Healthcare Provider
You should be sure to contact a health provider for an eye injury if:
Prevention Tips
Safety Measures at Home and Work
Even when you’re in a familiar environment, such as home or work, accidents can happen. To avoid this, keep the following in mind:
Protective Eyewear
Using protective eyewear can be your best line of defense. Be sure to wear protective eyewear whenever you are:
Sports-Related Eye Injury Prevention
Sports can be a lot of fun but can also put you at risk for eye injury. The following sports, in particular, may put you at high risk:
To avoid sports injuries when engaging in any of these activities, wear protective eyewear specifically for the sports in question that meets standards for Canadian Standards Association (CSA) racquet sports or the American Society of Testing and Materials.
Summary
22 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Penn Medicine.Eye corneal injuries.NHS.Black eye.Penn Medicine.Eye emergencies.Kaiser Permanente.Burns to the eye.Yale Medicine.Corneal abrasion.Harvard Health.Foreign body in eye.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Ocular penetrating and perforating injuries.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Open globe injury: assessment and preoperative management.Kaur K, Gurnani B.Clinical review- closed globe injury. In:Clinical Key Now. Elsevier.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Recognizing and treating eye injuries.Keck Medicine of USC.What are the 5 most common eye injuries for athletes?American Academy of Ophthalmology.Workplace eye injuries cost time, money, and vision.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Eye safety at home: preventing eye injuries.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Eye injuries from falls increasing as population ages, but are often preventable.Brody J, Ben Ishai M, Serov-Volach I, Mano-Tamir K, Gaton DD, Avisar I.Ocular injuries associated with motor vehicle accidents: long term effects on quality of life.Int Ophthalmol. 2024;44(1):135. doi:10.1007/s10792-024-03083-zAmerican Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.What causes eye injuries.Alik M, Malik M, Ashrafi R, Wu AY.Epidemiologic pattern and injury mechanism of intimate partner violence–related ocular trauma in the US.JAMA Ophthalmol.2023;141(5):431–439. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.0578American Academy of Ophthalmology.Ocular trauma in childhood.Penn Medicine.Eye corneal injuries.Columbia University.Eye injuries.Mount Sinai.Eye emergencies.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Sports eye safety.
22 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Penn Medicine.Eye corneal injuries.NHS.Black eye.Penn Medicine.Eye emergencies.Kaiser Permanente.Burns to the eye.Yale Medicine.Corneal abrasion.Harvard Health.Foreign body in eye.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Ocular penetrating and perforating injuries.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Open globe injury: assessment and preoperative management.Kaur K, Gurnani B.Clinical review- closed globe injury. In:Clinical Key Now. Elsevier.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Recognizing and treating eye injuries.Keck Medicine of USC.What are the 5 most common eye injuries for athletes?American Academy of Ophthalmology.Workplace eye injuries cost time, money, and vision.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Eye safety at home: preventing eye injuries.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Eye injuries from falls increasing as population ages, but are often preventable.Brody J, Ben Ishai M, Serov-Volach I, Mano-Tamir K, Gaton DD, Avisar I.Ocular injuries associated with motor vehicle accidents: long term effects on quality of life.Int Ophthalmol. 2024;44(1):135. doi:10.1007/s10792-024-03083-zAmerican Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.What causes eye injuries.Alik M, Malik M, Ashrafi R, Wu AY.Epidemiologic pattern and injury mechanism of intimate partner violence–related ocular trauma in the US.JAMA Ophthalmol.2023;141(5):431–439. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.0578American Academy of Ophthalmology.Ocular trauma in childhood.Penn Medicine.Eye corneal injuries.Columbia University.Eye injuries.Mount Sinai.Eye emergencies.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Sports eye safety.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Penn Medicine.Eye corneal injuries.NHS.Black eye.Penn Medicine.Eye emergencies.Kaiser Permanente.Burns to the eye.Yale Medicine.Corneal abrasion.Harvard Health.Foreign body in eye.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Ocular penetrating and perforating injuries.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Open globe injury: assessment and preoperative management.Kaur K, Gurnani B.Clinical review- closed globe injury. In:Clinical Key Now. Elsevier.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Recognizing and treating eye injuries.Keck Medicine of USC.What are the 5 most common eye injuries for athletes?American Academy of Ophthalmology.Workplace eye injuries cost time, money, and vision.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Eye safety at home: preventing eye injuries.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Eye injuries from falls increasing as population ages, but are often preventable.Brody J, Ben Ishai M, Serov-Volach I, Mano-Tamir K, Gaton DD, Avisar I.Ocular injuries associated with motor vehicle accidents: long term effects on quality of life.Int Ophthalmol. 2024;44(1):135. doi:10.1007/s10792-024-03083-zAmerican Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.What causes eye injuries.Alik M, Malik M, Ashrafi R, Wu AY.Epidemiologic pattern and injury mechanism of intimate partner violence–related ocular trauma in the US.JAMA Ophthalmol.2023;141(5):431–439. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.0578American Academy of Ophthalmology.Ocular trauma in childhood.Penn Medicine.Eye corneal injuries.Columbia University.Eye injuries.Mount Sinai.Eye emergencies.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Sports eye safety.
Penn Medicine.Eye corneal injuries.
NHS.Black eye.
Penn Medicine.Eye emergencies.
Kaiser Permanente.Burns to the eye.
Yale Medicine.Corneal abrasion.
Harvard Health.Foreign body in eye.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Ocular penetrating and perforating injuries.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Open globe injury: assessment and preoperative management.
Kaur K, Gurnani B.Clinical review- closed globe injury. In:Clinical Key Now. Elsevier.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Recognizing and treating eye injuries.
Keck Medicine of USC.What are the 5 most common eye injuries for athletes?
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Workplace eye injuries cost time, money, and vision.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Eye safety at home: preventing eye injuries.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Eye injuries from falls increasing as population ages, but are often preventable.
Brody J, Ben Ishai M, Serov-Volach I, Mano-Tamir K, Gaton DD, Avisar I.Ocular injuries associated with motor vehicle accidents: long term effects on quality of life.Int Ophthalmol. 2024;44(1):135. doi:10.1007/s10792-024-03083-z
American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.What causes eye injuries.
Alik M, Malik M, Ashrafi R, Wu AY.Epidemiologic pattern and injury mechanism of intimate partner violence–related ocular trauma in the US.JAMA Ophthalmol.2023;141(5):431–439. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2023.0578
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Ocular trauma in childhood.
Columbia University.Eye injuries.
Mount Sinai.Eye emergencies.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Sports eye safety.
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