A scratched eye, known medically as a corneal abrasion, heals on its own in most cases within two to five days. The immediate priority is flushing the eye, avoiding the urge to rub it, and managing pain while the surface repairs itself. Here’s what to do right now and what to expect over the next few days.
Flush Your Eye First
As soon as you notice pain, tearing, or the sensation that something is in your eye, rinse it with clean water or saline solution. You can use an eyecup, or position a small, clean drinking glass with its rim resting on the bone at the base of your eye socket. If you’re at a worksite with an eye-rinse station, use it immediately. Flushing serves two purposes: it washes out any debris that may still be on the surface, and it begins to soothe the irritated tissue.
Don’t try to remove a particle with your fingers, tweezers, or a cotton swab. These can cause a second scratch or push debris deeper into the corneal surface.
What Not to Do
The single most important rule is to avoid rubbing your eye. It feels instinctive, but rubbing can widen the scratch, introduce bacteria, or dislodge a foreign particle in a way that causes more damage. If you wear contact lenses, take them out and leave them out until the eye has fully healed. Contact lens wearers have a higher risk of infection from specific bacteria that colonize the lens surface, so continuing to wear contacts on a scratched cornea significantly raises the chance of complications.
You may have heard that covering the eye with a patch helps it heal. It doesn’t. A Cochrane Review found that people wearing an eye patch after a corneal abrasion had the same chance of a healed cornea at 24, 48, and 72 hours as people with no patch. The College of Optometrists and other clinical guidelines no longer recommend patching for simple corneal scratches.
Managing the Pain at Home
Corneal abrasions can be surprisingly painful. The cornea has one of the highest concentrations of nerve endings in the body, so even a small scratch can produce sharp, persistent discomfort along with watering, light sensitivity, and a gritty sensation that makes it hard to keep the eye open.
Over-the-counter pain relievers are effective. Ibuprofen (400 to 600 mg every six to eight hours) or acetaminophen (500 to 1,000 mg every four to six hours) can take the edge off while the surface heals. Ibuprofen has the added benefit of reducing inflammation.
Artificial tears, available without a prescription at any pharmacy, provide real comfort. Use them as often as you need to. They keep the surface moist, reduce the gritty feeling, and help the eyelid glide over the scratch without catching. Warm compresses placed gently over the closed eye (a warm, damp washcloth or even a warm tea bag) can also ease discomfort. Avoid using numbing eye drops that might be left over from a previous eye exam. These are strictly for short-term clinical use and can actually slow healing if used repeatedly.
How Long Healing Takes
Most minor scratches close within two to three days. Larger or deeper abrasions can take up to five days for the surface layer to fully seal, with smoothing of the new tissue continuing for a few days after that. Pain typically tracks with healing: you’ll notice significant improvement once the raw surface is covered by new cells, which for many people happens by day two or three.
During this window, your eye will be sensitive to light. Wearing sunglasses, even indoors under bright lighting, helps. Keep the eye lubricated with artificial tears, and try not to strain it with prolonged screen time or reading if it’s uncomfortable.
When a Doctor Visit Is Necessary
Not every scratched eye needs professional treatment, but several situations call for a same-day visit to an eye doctor or urgent care. Go in if:
- The scratch came from something sharp or metallic. Metal fragments can embed in the cornea and rust within hours, requiring removal.
- You were wearing contacts when it happened. Contact lens-related scratches carry a higher infection risk and typically require prescription antibiotic drops with broader coverage than standard abrasions.
- Your vision is blurry beyond just tearing. This could indicate a deeper injury to the cornea or something lodged beneath the surface.
- Pain worsens after 24 hours instead of improving. Increasing pain, swelling, or discharge (especially if it’s thick, yellow, or green) can signal an infection developing in the open wound.
- You see a white spot on the colored part of your eye. This may indicate a corneal ulcer, which is a serious complication requiring prompt treatment.
What Happens at the Doctor’s Office
If you do go in, the visit is usually straightforward. The doctor will likely place a drop of orange-tinted dye in your eye and examine it under a blue light. The dye pools in any scratched areas and glows, making even tiny abrasions visible. This is painless and takes just a few minutes.
For a simple scratch, you’ll typically leave with a prescription for antibiotic eye drops or ointment to prevent infection while the surface is open. The course is short, usually three to five days, and you apply the drops or ointment about four times daily until symptoms have been gone for a full day. Ointments tend to provide better lubrication and comfort than drops, though they temporarily blur your vision after application. Using them at bedtime works well for this reason.
If the scratch happened while wearing contacts, the prescribed antibiotic will cover a broader range of bacteria, since contact lens use creates a different bacterial environment on the eye’s surface. Your doctor will also tell you when it’s safe to start wearing lenses again, which is typically not until the abrasion is completely healed and you’ve finished the antibiotic course.
Preventing Recurrent Scratches
Some people experience a frustrating pattern where the healed area reopens, sometimes weeks or months later, often upon waking. This happens because the new surface cells didn’t bond firmly to the tissue underneath. Keeping your eyes well-lubricated with artificial tears before bed and first thing in the morning reduces the chance of the eyelid pulling away fresh tissue when you open your eyes. If you notice a pattern of morning eye pain in the same eye, mention it to your eye doctor, as there are simple treatments that can help the surface adhere more permanently.