Corneal Abrasion

A corneal abrasion is a scratch or scrape on the eye’s cornea — the clear, dome-like tissue covering the front of the eye. This injury usually occurs quickly, before the eye’s defense system can engage.

On this page

• What Is a Corneal Abrasion?
• What Are the Symptoms of a Corneal Abrasion?
• How Do You Diagnose a Corneal Abrasion?
• How Do You Treat a Corneal Abrasion?

What Is a Corneal Abrasion?  

A corneal abrasion is a scratch or cut on the cornea. The clear dome-like tissue that covers the front of your eye, the cornea works with the lens to focus images on the retina.

Corneal abrasions often happen quickly before the eye’s defense mechanisms — like your blinking reflex and eyelashes — kick in.

Corneal abrasions disrupt or cause a loss of cells from the corneal epithelium, the outermost layer of cells covering the cornea. The epithelium is the layer most susceptible to injury.

What causes corneal abrasions?

Corneal abrasions are common injuries that can happen to anyone at any age. From playing sports to doing yardwork — any time you handle a sharp object, you're at risk for an eye injury. Many scratched corneas are self-inflicted wounds.

The main causes of corneal abrasions are:

• Aggressive eye rubbing.
• Debris and other foreign bodies.
• Hard or soft contact lenses.
• Infections.
• Makeup, brushes, and applicators.
• Nail scratches and finger pokes.
• Trauma.
• Tree branches or plants.
• Trichiasis (when eyelashes grow inward and touch the eye surface).

What are corneal abrasion risk factors and complications?  

Corneal abrasion risk factors  

You're more likely to develop a corneal abrasion if you:

• Don’t use good hygiene when caring for your contact lenses.
• Have very dry eyes.
• Overwear your contacts.
• Use a hammer or tools without safety glasses.
• Wear ill-fitting contact lenses.
• Work in a dusty environment.

Complications of a corneal abrasion  

Most corneal abrasions heal quickly, but deeper or more severe abrasions may cause:

• Corneal ulcers — Open sores on the outside of the cornea.
• Corneal stromal scarring — Scar tissue of the stroma that can cause opaque vision.
• Fungal infection — If living tissue like a fingernail or tree branch scratches your eye, you have a small risk of developing this extremely serious condition that doesn't present right away.
• Recurrent erosion syndrome — When the epithelial layer pulls away from lower layers.
• Traumatic iritis — Inflammation of the iris, the colored part of the eye, from injury.

Blindness is rarely a complication of a corneal abrasion.

How can I reduce my risks of corneal abrasion?  

To reduce your risk of corneal abrasion:

• Always use protective eyewear, such as glasses, goggles, or shields, when working with power tools and hammers or when small objects may fly around.
• Avoid rubbing your eyes too much and too hard.
• Don’t overwear your contact lenses.
• Try artificial tear drops to relieve dry eyes.
• Use an eye wash to remove debris or dust that gets in your eye.
• Wash your hands and use fresh solution to rinse and store contacts.

How common is corneal abrasion? 

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), corneal abrasions make up roughly 45% of all eye-related diagnoses in emergency departments, followed by 33% related to foreign bodies in the eye.

However, of people visiting the ED because they felt like they had a foreign body in their eye, 13% actually had a scratched cornea instead.

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What Are the Signs and Symptoms of a Corneal Abrasion? 

Some corneal injuries start out with mild pain that worsens.

Symptoms of a corneal abrasion include:

• Blurry or hazy vision.
• Excessive squinting.
• Eye pain, stinging, or burning.
• Feeling like you have something in your eye.
• Red eye.
• Sensitivity to light.
• Swollen eyelid.
• Watery or teary eye.

When should I see a doctor about my corneal abrasion symptoms? 

If you have severe eye pain, go to the emergency department or see your ophthalmologist right away.

If a healed corneal abrasion becomes painful again, or if you think something isn’t right, call your eye doctor.

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How Do You Diagnose a Corneal Abrasion?  

Your eye doctor will look for injuries in your eye with a standard eye exam. They may use fluorescein, a green-tinted dye on a tiny strip of paper or in an eyedrop, and then look into your eye with a special microscope. Fluorescein glows under blue light, making scratches or cuts in the cornea stand out.

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How Do You Treat a Corneal Abrasion?  

Your corneal abrasion treatment will depend on what your ophthalmologist finds during the eye exam.

Corneal abrasion treatment options include:

• A patch over the injured eye to keep you from blinking and worsening the abrasion.
• Moisturizing eye drops or ointment to add a soothing layer over the cornea.
• Prescription antibiotic eye drops or ointment to prevent infection.
• Special dilation eyedrops to widen your pupil and help relieve pain.
• A bandage contact lens to decrease pain and promote healing.

The corneal epithelium typically heals quickly. Small abrasions often heal in one to two days, but larger abrasions may take up to a week.

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By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2025-07-15.