Unless you are wearing eye protection when you ride your motorcycle, you face the very real risk of suffering from an eye injury if you are involved in a motorcycle accident. It is vital to understand how to treat eye injuries, such as corneal abrasions, just in case you suffer from that type of injury.
A corneal abrasion is another name for a scratch on the cornea, or clear protective tissue, of the eye. The cornea helps your eyes to focus light. It is possible that your cornea can get scratched from dirt, dust, sand or other particles that are on the roadway when you get into a motor vehicle accident.
If you feel like you have debris in your eye after an accident, don’t rub your eye. Rubbing your eye might seem like a good idea, but it can make a corneal abrasion worse. Instead, you should blink or rinse your eye out. If you can’t get the debris out, if you have something lodged in your eye or if you are in pain, it is vital that you seek medical attention right away.
Corneal abrasions can affect almost every aspect of your life. This eye injury can cause headaches and blurred vision. You might also notice that light hurts your eyes when the cornea is scratched.
When you seek medical care for a corneal abrasion, you might be given special eye drops to use in your eye. The doctor will try to remove any particles that remain in your eye. You might be told to keep contact lenses out until the abrasion heals because of the risk of infection.
It is vital that you follow the doctor’s orders to help preserve your eyesight if you have a corneal abrasion. Once you have gotten the medical care you need, you can decide if you want to seek compensation for the motorcycle accident.
Source: FamilyDoctor.org, “Corneal Abrasions,” accessed July 22, 2015
