Living in a desert environment where high winds and sandstorms are common means that eye injuries caused by flying debris are more likely.
If you are unfortunate enough to get a piece of grit or sand in your eye and it remains sore and irritated, you may have a scratched cornea. The cornea is the clear protective covering that shields the pupil and the iris (the colored part). While a scratched cornea can be very painful, it is usually not serious and will often heal by itself in a few days. However, you may have to deal with the tricky task of removing the foreign object that caused the scratch.
First of all, don’t rub your eye, as this can make the scratch worse. Instead, try blinking rapidly to dislodge the object. If that doesn’t work, try staring at something for as long as possible without blinking to make your eye fill with tears to wash away the object. If that still doesn’t work, flush your eye with clean water or a sterile saline solution, ensuring a continuous flow across the eye. Make sure you wash your hands well before touching your eye.
If you feel you still have something stuck in your eye, visit the emergency room at the hospital. If something is lodged in the surface of the eye, under no circumstances should you try to remove it yourself, as you will cause further damage.
Remember, it’s your life, your future, Your Health First.
