Don't laugh at my typos...I can't see!

June 15, 2009 11:02 AM

How long does it take for a scratched cornea to fully heal?

I poked myself in the eye with a branch last Sunday. Went to the eye doc on Monday, and did his thing and put on a corneal bandage. Went back on Wednesday and he said everything is just fine. Everything I've read on The Googles leads me to believe that the cornea is a pretty quick healer, but "deep scratches" could take longer.

My eyesight is still pretty blurry...It takes forever to get an appointment at that place (I have a regular exam scheduled for July 8) and I was just curious if anyone's ever had this issue before.

How long did it take for your blurriness to go away? I miss my perfect vision! Am I doomed for life or what? The headaches are becoming annoying, and CTRL + only helps so much....

Much thanks!

posted by Zoyashka to health & fitness (8 answers total)

I have a scratch on the surface of one of my cornea which has been there for 20 years. (It doesn't affect my vision, but optometrists always comment on it when I get a vision exam.)

The problem is that there's no blood supply. The cells of the cornea are alive, but they're nourished by tears, and that isn't much.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 11:07 AM on June 15, 2009

My ex scratched his cornea and if i remember correctly, he ended up having to get something where they poked a bunch of little holes in it or something to help it heal. It took about 8 weeks total for the whole mess to be over. Also they gave him cocaine eye drops!
posted by yodelingisfun at 11:07 AM on June 15, 2009 [1 favorite]

I've had a couple of corneal scratches, and they healed in a few days. Maybe a week.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 11:23 AM on June 15, 2009

my wife had PRK laser eye surgery last summer. unlike lasik, where they cut a flap in the cornea, PRK involves making a hole in the cornea. She could use her eye in 2-3 days, but it was still occasionally painful or blurry. Complete healing will be a couple weeks.
posted by gnutron at 11:24 AM on June 15, 2009

When I scratched mine, I had to wear an eye patch for a week. Light still bothered it for a few days after that, though. This was almost 20 years ago and I was a kid. No idea how deep the scratch was.
posted by Polychrome at 11:34 AM on June 15, 2009

Thirty years ago and still bothers. Sometimes a lot.
posted by jgirl at 11:58 AM on June 15, 2009

It depends on the type and severity of the scratch.
I had an abrasion at age 18 from hard contact lenses. It healed in a matter of a few days to a week or so.
My wife got a scratch from our cat (Eye glint in the middle of the night resulting in ER trip.). It is still there after ten years. It still bothers her from time to time when her eye gets dry.
posted by Drasher at 12:48 PM on June 15, 2009

My husband the eye doctor says if your vision is still blurry, you need to be seen (again) by an ophthalmologist immediately. Like, as soon as possible.
posted by mothershock at 5:14 PM on June 15, 2009