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May 19, 2013
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Eye Injuries (cont.)

Medical Author:
Andrew A. Dahl, MD, FACS

Andrew A. Dahl, MD, is a board-certified ophthalmologist. Dr. Dahl's educational background includes a BA with Honors and Distinction from Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, and an MD from Cornell University, where he was selected for Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical honor society. He had an internal medical internship at the New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center.

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Medical Editor:
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Eye Injuries Symptoms and Signs

  • Chemical exposure: The most common symptoms are pain or intense burning. The eye will begin to tear profusely, may become red, and the eyelids may become swollen.
  • Subconjunctival hemorrhage (bleeding): Generally, this condition by itself is painless. Vision is not affected. The eye will have a red spot of blood on the sclera (the white part of the eye). This occurs when there is a rupture of a small blood vessel on the surface of the eye. The area of redness may be fairly large, and its appearance is sometimes alarming. Spontaneous subconjunctival hemorrhages may occur in the absence of any known trauma. If it is unassociated with other signs of trauma, it is not dangerous and generally goes away over a period of 4 to 10 days with no treatment.
  • Corneal abrasions: Symptoms include pain, a sensation that something is in the eye, tearing, and sensitivity to light.
  • Iritis: Pain and light sensitivity are common. The pain may be described as a deep ache in and around the eye. Sometimes, excessive tearing is seen.
  • Hyphema: Pain and blurred vision are the main symptoms.
  • Orbital blowout fracture: Symptoms include pain, especially with movement of the eyes; double vision that disappears when one eye is covered; and eyelid swelling which may worsen after nose blowing. Swelling around the eye and bruising often occur. A black eye is the result of blood pooling in the eyelids. This can take weeks to disappear totally.
  • Conjunctival lacerations: Symptoms include pain, redness, and a sensation that something is in the eye.
  • Lacerations to the cornea and the sclera: Symptoms include decreased vision and pain.
  • Foreign bodies:
    • Corneal: A sensation that something is in the eye, tearing, blurred vision, and light sensitivity are all common symptoms. Sometimes, the foreign body can be seen on the cornea. If the foreign body is metal, a rust ring or rust stain can occur.
    • Intraorbital: Symptoms, such as decreased vision, pain, and double vision, usually develop hours to days after the injury. Sometimes, no symptoms develop.
    • Intraocular: People may have eye pain and decreased vision, but, initially, if the foreign body is small and was introduced into the eye at high velocity, people may have no symptoms.
  • Light-induced injuries:
    • Ultraviolet keratitis: Symptoms include pain, light sensitivity, redness, and a feeling that something is in the eye. Symptoms do not appear immediately after ultraviolet exposure but rather about 4 hours later.
    • Solar retinopathy: Decreased vision with a small area of central blurring is the primary symptom.

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Black Eye
Black Eye A black eye is a relatively common result of some injury to the face or the head. A black eye is caused when blood and other fluids collect in the ...learn more >>
Chemical Eye Burns
Chemical Eye Burns Chemical exposure to any part of the eye or eyelid may result in a chemical eye burn. Chemical burns represent 7-10% of eye injuries. About 15-20% of burns to t...learn more >>
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Eye Injuries - Causes

The eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:

What was the cause and type of your eye injury?

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Read What Your Physician is Reading on Medscape

Globe Rupture »

Globe rupture occurs when the integrity of the outer membranes of the eye is disrupted by blunt or penetrating trauma.

Read More on Medscape Reference »


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