Foreign body in the eye

A loose speck of dust can often be removed by blinking and plenty of clean water, but a splinter can scratch the cornea, become embedded or penetrate the eyeball at high speed. Do not rub, use tweezers or press on the eye. Reduced vision, severe pain, sensitivity to light, a distorted pupil, a visibly embedded object or a metal-on-metal injury requires immediate ophthalmic assessment.

• A gritty, stinging or scraping sensation that worsens with blinking, often with watering, redness and an urge to squeeze the eye shut.
• Pain, sensitivity to light and blurred vision may result from a corneal scratch or embedded particle and cannot be judged from the object's size.
• For a chemical splash, immediately start rinsing with plenty of clean lukewarm running water for at least twenty minutes, continuing during transport if needed. Remove a contact lens during rinsing only if this is easy; do not wait for the label and do not use neutralising drops.
• For an ordinary loose speck, first wash your hands, remove a contact lens if effortless, and rinse generously with clean lukewarm running water or saline while blinking.
• Have the eye assessed the same day if rinsing does not help immediately, the sensation returns, a particle is embedded, or pain, sensitivity to light, redness or blurred vision persists.
• For urgent GP care outside normal opening hours, call HAP 9252. Call Ambulance 912 only for an immediately life-threatening situation.
• A visibly protruding or embedded object, distorted pupil, leaking fluid, blood in the eye or sudden major vision loss may indicate an open globe: do not touch it, do not eat or drink, and seek immediate emergency eye care.