The structure of the face helps to protect the eyes from injury. Each eyeball is set into a protective socket of bone known as an orbit, and the eyelids can close very quickly to form a protective barrier.
Types of eye injuries
There are many types of eye injury. Some common eye injuries include:
- corneal abrasions – damage to the cornea (the protective layer of transparent tissue at the front of the eye) caused by scratching or grazing
- iritis (uveitis) – inflammation (swelling) of the iris (the coloured part of the eye that controls the amount of light that enters); it can be caused by a trauma to the eye (traumatic iritis), or by another condition (non-traumatic iritis)
- foreign bodies – material that accidentally gets into the eye, such as metal, wood, plastic or dust
How common are eye injuries?
Eye injuries are uncommon. For example, each year in the UK, scratches or grazes to the cornea (corneal abrasions) affect about 3 in 1,000 people.
Corneal abrasions are usually caused by a foreign object getting into the eye, such as grit, or by a contact lens.
Superficial eye injuries
An eye injury is classified as superficial (affecting only the surface) if it does not penetrate beyond the Bowman's membrane. Depending on the size of the abrasion, a superficial eye injury will usually take between 24 to 72 hours to heal.
Eye injuries can be treated with eye drops to prevent infection, and oral analgesics (painkillers) to reduce pain.
Driving
If you sustain a severe eye injury, it may affect your ability to drive. It is your legal obligation to inform the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) about a medical condition that could have an impact on your driving ability.
The Directgov website has information about how to tell the DVLA about a medical condition.
