Foreign Bodies in the Eyes

People don’t necessarily think of health issues when given the term ‘foreign body.’ When it comes to your eyes, a foreign body can be generally defined as any object that is not meant to be in them. In many cases, even an eyelash can be considered a foreign body. Other obvious things that we tend to get in our eyes include sand, dust, and even some small bugs! Luckily, these foreign objects are fairly simple to remove and most likely won’t need any assistance to get them out. Your body will typically react by tearing up and removing these objects itself. Other objects can be different. Metal shards or would can be a different story. Every now and then, people decide not to wear protective eyewear while doing metal or woodwork. As these foreign objects have a high chances of entering your eyes at a high velocity, they can be significantly more dangerous than eyelashes or sand. These foreign objects may require medical assistance to remove, especially if they have embedded themselves into your eyes or eyelids. These object can potentially have very bad effects on your vision, and create a large possibility for infection to occur.

If you get a foreign object in your eye, be sure to evaluate whether you need medical assistance or not to remove it. It can possibly have life changing effects, so better to be safe than sorry!