Okay help me

[Ron_Tomkins]

This is the second time that this happens: An eyelash gets inside my eye, and stays there, stuck to the eyeball surface. The first time I barely managed to get it out, using a wet piece of toilet paper to move it. This time, the damn piece of lash is so tiny, so well stuck, and so in the border of the eyelid that I simply can't get it out. I've almost destroyed my eye and I can't believe that such an absurd situation is capable of causing me permanent damage. Is there any practical solution for this or will I actually need to go to a doctor and pay a session just to get an eyelash out?

[OnlyTellsTruths]

This seems to work when I get something in my eye. Also, I wear contact lenses.

Close your eyes tightly. Blink as fast as you can while still holding your eyes closed tightly (with your face muscles, not your hands!). This may seem counter-intuitive, just practice, and don't open your eyes very wide each blink. This should cause your tear ducts to cleanse your eyes of any debris. In bad cases, add moving both eyes around widely (or wildly) to the mix. This should take less than 1/2 a minute.

In summation, blink rapidly while squinting your eyes closed tightly while rapidly moving your eyes around if needed.

Putting anything in your eye, even eye drops (in excess), is never a good idea. Contact lenses (prescribed specifically for you) being an exception.

[tripi]

If you have a vacuum cleaner with a hose extension, that should work. Just be careful so that your eyeball doesn't get sucked out of its socket too.

Seriously, though...I usually just use Visine or hold the eyeball in question open until it burns and tears flush out whatever is in there...usually. If that doesn't work, your local supermarket should have something to help get that out.

[Ron_Tomkins]

This seems to work when I get something in my eye. Also, I wear contact lenses.

Close your eyes tightly. Blink as fast as you can while still holding your eyes closed tightly (with your face muscles, not your hands!). This may seem counter-intuitive, just practice, and don't open your eyes very wide each blink. This should cause your tear ducts to cleanse your eyes of any debris. In bad cases, add moving both eyes around widely (or wildly) to the mix. This should take less than 1/2 a minute.

In summation, blink rapidly while squinting your eyes closed tightly while rapidly moving your eyes around if needed.

Putting anything in your eye, even eye drops (in excess), is never a good idea. Contact lenses (prescribed specifically for you) being an exception.



Thank you. I will try that. In addition, I foun this eye cleaning liquid at the drug store. I'm going to try that tomorrow.

I'd like to add though that this isn't any debris. This is an eyelash and it's stuck to the eye almost as if it was glued to it. I'll try your method anyway. Thanks in advance.

[Dr. Trintignant]

even eye drops (in excess), is never a good idea

That seems very unlikely unless the eye drops are medicated. Our eyes function just fine immersed in water, and that is a fluid without the saline balance that eye drops have. And in fact, after LASIK surgery, my ophthalmologist specifically told me that I can't use too many eye drops.

I'm no doctor (heh), but my recommendation would be to use "artificial tears" liberally. One brand is Alcon's "Tears Naturale". Just don't use something medicated, like Visine.

- Dr. Trintignant

PS: I've used those eyewash kits as well (back when I had contacts and my eyes occasionally became hypersensitive), and they seem a good alternate solution.

[Ron_Tomkins]

That seems very unlikely unless the eye drops are medicated. Our eyes function just fine immersed in water, and that is a fluid without the saline balance that eye drops have. And in fact, after LASIK surgery, my ophthalmologist specifically told me that I can't use too many eye drops.

I'm no doctor (heh), but my recommendation would be to use "artificial tears" liberally. One brand is Alcon's "Tears Naturale". Just don't use something medicated, like Visine.

- Dr. Trintignant

PS: I've used those eyewash kits as well (back when I had contacts and my eyes occasionally became hypersensitive), and they seem a good alternate solution.



Thank you. Well, I'm no eye drop expert but the ones I was using were called "refresh Eye Therapy"
Then today I went to the pharmacy and got me some new eye drops by the name of "Advanced Relief eye drops" (they're a Duane Reade brand).

Also, the name of the eye cleaning kit I got is "OcuFresh Eye Wash" which I will be using later on tonight before I go to bed and then tomorrow morning.

[Dr. Trintignant]

Thank you. Well, I'm no eye drop expert but the ones I was using were called "refresh Eye Therapy"
Then today I went to the pharmacy and got me some new eye drops by the name of "Advanced Relief eye drops" (they're a Duane Reade brand).

Also, the name of the eye cleaning kit I got is "OcuFresh Eye Wash" which I will be using later on tonight before I go to bed and then tomorrow morning.

Seems like those options should work fine. This is the eye wash kit I used:
http://www.bausch.com/en_US/consumer/visioncare/product/drops/eyewash.aspx

And in fact it says this: Keep on hand to flush irritants from eyes and for emergencies. Just make sure to go to a doctor if that doesn't do the trick.

- Dr. Trintignant

[Ron_Tomkins]

Well you aren't going to believe this.

So last night I used the eyewash. Didn't really help getting rid of the eyelash. So I went to bed.

So today I woke up, went to the mirror. The eyelash was stil there. Suddenly it just hit me: The toothbrush!!. I have a toothbrush (brand: Buttler) that has this weird plastic "spike" on the bottom of the handle. To this day I have never figured out what that is for (though it looks like a temporary tooth pick). So I used that to grab the end of the eyelash (the one that's connected to the eyelid) and got it out!.

I finally got rid of that little bastard. Now what concerns me is: what will I ever do if this happens again but this time the eyelash is free from the eyelid?

[JWideman]

Well...
http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/1707329/2/istockphoto_1707329_dental_pick_and_mirror.jpg

[Deetee]

You mean the eyelash was still attached to your eyelid all along?
Why did it not come free when you pulled the lid away from the eyeball? (Either it should have come away intact, or been pulled off and remained stuck to the eye, from where it could be flushed off hopefully).

[casebro]

One of the metal shops I worked at had a neat gismo for picking stuff of eyeballs. A fine wire loop on a handle. Similar to a needle threader with a longer handle. Worked good if you had a coworker with a steady hand. Otherwise, I use a torn business card. The car is stiff enough for a handle, the torn corner has fiber that likes to grab stuff. Dip the corner into tears first.

[Ron_Tomkins]

Well...
http://www1.istockphoto.com/file_thumbview_approve/1707329/2/istockphoto_1707329_dental_pick_and_mirror.jpg


Yeah right!

No freacking way, Jose.

[Ron_Tomkins]

You mean the eyelash was still attached to your eyelid all along?

Yes! It was!! (And this is the second time this happens to me)

Why did it not come free when you pulled the lid away from the eyeball? (Either it should have come away intact, or been pulled off and remained stuck to the eye, from where it could be flushed off hopefully).


Well, you tell me. I would love to know. As I said, I spent hours pulling the eylid away and using a small piece of wet toilet paper to try to move the eyelash away. It just wouldn't come out. As if it didn't want to.

Now how insane is this?

[Ron_Tomkins]

One of the metal shops I worked at had a neat gismo for picking stuff of eyeballs. A fine wire loop on a handle. Similar to a needle threader with a longer handle. Worked good if you had a coworker with a steady hand. Otherwise, I use a torn business card. The car is stiff enough for a handle, the torn corner has fiber that likes to grab stuff. Dip the corner into tears first.


Brilliant. The bussiness card thingie sounds remarkably clever. I'll try it next time if I go through a worse version of this situation.