stupid accident with my eye today

[poppy]

So I am unpacking my groceries on the kitchen bench and in a rush. I somehow (being short) managed to pull out a packet of dried pasta and to somehow whack myself in the eye and scrape the edge of the packet (the bit that they heat seal or whatever and is hard) across the surface of my eye, kind of like a paper cut but fortunately not as sharp as paper! (note to self, clumsy person like me should never hold paper around my eye!)

Anyway, I guess I gave myself a bad abrasion. (I get abrasions and erosions but this was a worse one, on a par with corneal ulcer but much shorter term). 15 minutes of holding my eye closed and streaming tears and putting gel in the eye. After that it became bearable and now maybe 5-6 hours later the eye is just a bit worse than it usually is.

I am a bit concerned though whether it is going to heal well considering the state of my eyes is not good already. Is there anything I can DIY at home to help it with healing, apart from genteal gel? Taping shut at night perhaps? Please don't tell me to see an eye doc asap, it would be a month before I got in, they aren't going to see me urgently over an abrasion.

[littlemermaid]

Good grief, Poppy, that must be excruciating. I'm thinking your Optometrist pal could have a quick look at the damage with a view to bunging in a preservative-free antibacterial eg refrigerated chloramphenicol vials, for safety's sake - GP can prescribe for Pharmacist but not do well on the examination without slit lamp. Meanwhile we would use whatever tear substitute as you are doing to keep surface moist but cool compress for inflammation.

I would check any tear substitute drops with hyaluronic acid don't have phosphate in the base until open cut is healed because there are some reports of calcium phosphate base dots in lesions (PubMed). But your normal gel doesn't have HA, does it - do you just use gel normally or do you have a good tear substitute eyedrop?

Get Optom working for his $. Don't leave it without an exam, with your history - might want topical anaesthetic and gluing up in A&E eye clinic if cut because it's not like your normal abrasions, which are surface. Three friends had this - tree surgeon, diamond ring and child's fingernail, and all needed A&E eye exam and short course of topical antibacterial and eyepatch closed, plus took a while to heal, and the diamond cut was glued. Your worst scenario is infection, I think. We would minimise the PF antibac to what works, with regard to not traumatising dry surface further but enough to kill bugs. Hope you got a decent night's sleep. Post up to let us know what the Optom says x

[poppy]

Hi LM - fortunately the eye has improved again this morning. It is not much worse than it normally is, pain is tolerable. Yes my normal gel doesn't have that ingredient thanks - that's the only drop I use.

When I said paper cut I was just trying to describe what it felt like, I am sure it is not actually cut and it looks normal to the naked eye - it will just be a bad abrasion worse/different than my normal ones as you said.

I will keep up cleaning them with sterilid also due to infection risk as you say. Will call optom tomorrow (its Sunday they are shut).

Thanks

[MartyM1985]

I will tell ya this... it will probably heal eventually! It just might take some time.

Hang in there and continue to be positive.

[littlemermaid]

Poppy, That pain is normal for you? And you have to use a gel all day for abrasions? We are doing well frequent use with the most viscous drop with hyaluronic acid (/sodium hyaluronate), which is thought to be helpful inc on healing. Hope you made that eye clinic follow-up appointment anyway to see the nice Registrar ongoing for monitoring and in case they've got something new and useful on abrasions. Do you like the eye cleaning regime he suggested?