How to sleep with a scratched eye

Corneal abrasion or a scratched eye is just inconvenient and is not really a suitable position for you to be in. Your cornea, which is a thin layer of tissue that covers your iris and pupil, is your only protection if something gets through your eye like in an accidental eye poke so you won’t get blind.

A scratched cornea, though considered a minor injury, feels not really that minor. It feels like there are grains of sand that are stuck on your eyeball and you can’t scratch it, because doing so would only make it worse. It really sucks to be in that predicament and you can’t really do a lot about it.

But on a lighter note, corneal abrasion can heal on itself in about 1 to 5 days. A minor injury in your cornea causes sharp and tingling pain in your eyes. That sleeping with it is like having to feel that a needle is poking your eyes constantly. It affects your ability to sleep well, and it’s not really a pleasant sensation, to be honest with.

How to sleep with a scratched eye

A good night’s sleep can help you speed up your eye’s recovery and healing process. But you know exactly how difficult it will go. We can give you these tips to help you minimize the pain and help you fall asleep.

• Avoid sleeping on the affected eye’s side – When you roll on the part where the injured eye is, you would put pressure on that part and will make the pain very excruciating. Which will contribute to your sleeping problem. We suggest you sleep on your back or roll on the opposite side of your injured eye. We know it sucks but, you just need to carry on because there is no other way.

• Have some pain relievers, you need it – When you are going to close your eyes, you will definitely feel inconvenience for sure. If the pain is unbearable and keeps on nagging even if you aren’t doing anything. You can take some pain relievers like acetaminophen (Tylenol) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAIDs) like your trusted ibuprofen. If it is really painful and you are having a hard time with it, your doctor can give your eye drops pain reliever. Adults with scratched eye can take 650 to 1,000 milligrams (mg) if ibuprofen every 4 to 6 hours. Make sure you will not exceed 3,200 milligrams in a day or for 24 hours.

• If it is really unbearable, get some eyedrops – Eyedrops helps your eyes from drying out. Dry eye increases the chances of friction between the eyelid and your cornea, and it can lead to a more excruciating pain that won’t let you sleep. A good eyedrops help you keep your eyes moist and reduce friction thus giving you a sense of relief. A friendly visit to your eye doctor helps you get the most appropriate medication for your eye injury. There are some eye drops like the redness-reducing ones that would likely increase the pain that you will be feeling. That is why you need to consult it with your doctor to be sure.

• Cold compress can help a lot – An application of cold compress on the affected area like your eyelids will help you feel relieved as it will help reduce the pain and inflammation in your eyes. If you don’t have a cold-compress bag, you can make a quick D-I-Y cold-compress bag by putting ice cubes in a plastic bag and wrap it with a clean cloth. Close your eyes and apply your cold compress over your injured eye for about 20 minutes. Put it gently and take it off. Do it for 20 minutes and it will help lessen the pain.

• Keep the lights dim – It is normal to feel an incessant eye irritation after the injury. Light triggers spasms caused by your eyes’ focus to light. You can’t really do something about it because it is your eyes’ natural reaction each time light enters on it. Dimming your light inside your room can help your ciliary nerves and ciliary muscles not to “react” when there are no stimuli triggering it, which is the bright light. It would be better if you discontinue your screen time even for just a while, since light can stimulate your ciliary muscles. Just relax even for a day and let your eye rest so that you won’t be feeling that something is pinching your eyeball. If you can’t really help it, you need some screen time, then dimming your screen may provide some help, but as we said, you really need to cut for a while your screen time.