Getting Help

If you experience the following symptoms, it's crucial to see your doctor:

• Changes in vision
• Severe eye pain
• Feeling like something is in your eye
• Noticeable discharge from your eye

If you have a history of eye abrasions, or exposure to chemicals or airborne particles.

Self-Care at Home

If you wear contact lenses, remove them immediately.

• Apply cool compresses to the affected eye.
• Avoid touching or rubbing your eye with your fingers.
• Reduce infection risk by washing your hands frequently and drying them with a clean towel.
• Consider over-the-counter pain medications like acetaminophen or ibuprofen.

Follow-up Care

If hospitalization isn't necessary, your eye specialist will prescribe eye drops and pain-relief medications for you to use regularly at home. It's crucial to have regular follow-ups with your eye specialist until further notice.

If you experience worsening vision, pain, discharge, or fever, contact your eye specialist promptly.

Prevention Tips

For any eye symptoms, seek immediate medical attention from your eye specialist. Even seemingly minor corneal injuries can lead to ulcers with severe consequences, including vision loss or eye loss.

When exposed to small particles that can get into your eye, wear eye protection.

If you have dry eyes or incomplete eyelid closure, use artificial teardrops to keep your eyes lubricated.

If you wear contact lenses, be extremely cautious when cleaning and wearing them.

Always clean your hands before handling the lenses. Avoid using saliva to lubricate your lenses, as oral bacteria can harm your cornea.

Remove your lenses from your eyes every night and clean them thoroughly, avoiding the use of tap water for cleaning.

Avoid sleeping with contact lenses in your eyes.

Store your lenses in disinfecting solutions overnight.

Take out your lenses whenever your eyes are irritated and keep them out until your eyes heal. Regularly clean your contact lens case.

Prognosis

A corneal ulcer is a serious emergency. Without treatment, it can spread to the entire eyeball, potentially causing partial or complete blindness quickly. Complications may include corneal perforation, scarring, cataracts, or glaucoma.

With proper treatment, corneal ulcers should show improvement within two to three weeks.

If vision is affected due to previous corneal ulcers, a corneal transplant may be necessary to restore normal eyesight.