Proper Treatment for a Baby Eye Scratch

Little babies love to explore their faces with their hands. Unfortunately, the combination of sharp nails and curious fingers is a set up for baby’s eye to be scratched.

5 Signs Your Baby’s Eye is Scratched

Red-eye – the “whites” of the eye will be very sore and red

Suddenly fussy – your baby is happy one moment, then suddenly becomes very fussy and difficult to console for many hours

Scratch marks around the eye

Symptoms in only one eye

Your doctor will perform a fluorescent eye exam if a scratched eye is suspected. Fluorescence is a harmless and painless orange dye that your doctor will put in the eye. He then will shine a fluorescent light into the eyes. If baby’s eye is scratched, the dye will stick to the scratch and this will show up under the fluorescent light.

Eye Patch – Your doctor will place this over the eye to keep it closed. This allows baby’s eye scratch to heal. It is generally left on for two days

Antibiotic Ointment – Your doctor will place this in the eye before the patch is put on. This keeps the scratch from getting infected. The ointment is repeated every 12 – 24 hours.

Follow Up – Depending on the size of the scratch, your doctor may or may not repeat the eye exam in two or three days. Visit an eye doctor if the scratch is still present.

If you suspect your child has an eye scratch, don’t worry! Most eye scratches are not too serious and will heal perfectly with proper treatment. Let a doctor examine the eye no later than 4-6 hours after symptoms start. So if it’s the middle of the night, you can wait until morning. If it’s day or early evening, it is probably prudent to seek medical attention that day.

Most Common Illnesses

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