Foreign Body, Eye

Eye Diseases and Conditions Slideshow

• Eye Foreign Body Overview
• Eye Foreign Body Causes
• Eye Foreign Body Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Questions to Ask the Doctor
• Exams and Tests
• Eye Foreign Body Treatment
• Self-Care at Home
• Medical Treatment
• Next Steps
• Follow-up
• Prevention
• Outlook
• For More Information
• Web Links
• Multimedia
• Synonyms and Keywords
• Authors and Editors

Eye Foreign Body Overview

From the occasional eyelash that wanders uninvited into your eye to the high-speed missile impact from an ejected metal shard, you may find yourself with something in your eye (medically referred to as a foreign body). Depending on what it is and how the injury happened, the foreign body may pierce the eye and cause serious injury or it may simply go away with no long-term problem.

Most people realize that an eyelash in the eye does not require an evaluation by a doctor but that a metal shard in your eye would warrant a visit to your ophthalmologist (a medical doctor who specializes in eye care and surgery), particularly if it has penetrated beyond the superficial layers of the surface of the eye.