Injury Definition

• Injuries to the eye, eyelid, and area around the eye.
• The main concern is whether the vision is damaged.
• Older children can tell us if their vision is blurred or out of focus.  Test them at home by covering each eye in turn and having them look at a distant object.
• Children less than 5 years old usually need to be examined to rule out serious injuries affecting vision even if the injury is minor.

See More Appropriate Topic

• If foreign body present, see EYE, FOREIGN BODY IN.

(To go directly to this topic, click on the link following this document.)

Call Your Doctor Now (night or day) If

• You think your child has a serious injury.
• Vision is blurred or lost in either eye.  
• Child reports double vision or unable to look upward.
• Pupils unequal in size or abnormal shape.
• Bloody or cloudy fluid behind the cornea (clear part).  
• Object hit the eye at high speed (such as from a lawn mower).
• Sharp object hit the eye (such as metallic chip).  
• Skin is split open or gaping and may need stitches.
• Any cut on the eyelid or eyeball.  
• Constant tearing or blinking.  
• Child keeps the eye covered or refuses to open it.  
• Severe pain.  
• Age less than 1 year old.

Call Your Doctor Within 24 Hours (between 9 and 4) If

• You think your child needs to be seen.
• Bruises near the eye (such as a black eye or bleeding into the white of the eyeball)  in child less than 5 years old.

Call Your Doctor During Weekday Office Hours If

• You have other questions or concerns.

Parent Care at Home

• Mild eye injury and you don't think your child needs to be seen.

Home Care Advice for Mild Eye Injuries

1. Superficial Cuts or Scrapes:
   
   Apply direct pressure for 10 minutes with a sterile gauze to stop any bleeding.
   
   Wash the wound with soap and water for 5 minutes.  (Protect the eye with a clean cloth.)
   
   Apply antibiotic ointment to cuts.  Cover large scrapes with Band-Aid.  Change daily.
   
   
2. Swelling or Bruises with Intact Skin (including a Black Eye):
   
   Apply an ice pack for 20 minutes per hour to reduce the bleeding.  Repeat for 4 consecutive hours.
   
   Note: A black eye usually takes 1 to 2 days to develop.  A flame-shaped bruise of the white of the eyeball is also common.
   
   Apply a warm wash cloth for 10 minutes 3 times per day after 48 hours to help reabsorb the blood.
   
   
3. Pain Medicine:  Give acetaminophen or ibuprofen as necessary for pain relief.
   
   
4. Expected Course:  Both of these injuries are harmless, last about 2 weeks and cannot be helped by any medicine.
   
   
5. Call Your Doctor If:
   
   Pain becomes severe.
   
   Changes in vision.
   
   Your child becomes worse or develops any of the "Call Your Doctor" symptoms.

Parent Care for Pediatric Symptoms. Copyright © 2000. Barton D. Schmitt, MD, FAAP

See related topics:

• Eye, Foreign Body In