AboutDr. Margaret Placentra Johnston, OD Expertise I can answer almost any question about vision and general eye health care. As a non-surgeon, I may not be able to answer very involved technical questions about surgical procedures or highly specialized medical treatments.
Experience I hold the degree of Doctor of Optometry and was in full-time private practice for twenty-five years. Currently I have reduced my schedule to part-time to allow time to write a book on another topic.
Organizations American Optometric Association, Virginia Optometric Association, Northern Virginia Optometric Society (and others unrelated to this topic)
Education/Credentials O.D. (Doctor of Optometry) Pennsylvania College of Optometry (now called Salus University,) B.S. Pennsylvania College of Optometry, M.A. (Education) Catholic University of America, B.A Catholic University of America.
Question Dr. Johnston, About 6 weeks ago I had an eye injury where I got poked in the eye with a tree branch. I went to a clinic where an internist checked it out and said it was a scratched cornea. She gave me some drops and said it should clear up in a few days and if not to see an eye doctor.
It seemed to get better and I thought I was over it. A few days ago I woke up with a pain in the eye very similar, but far less intense than the original injury. The eye was watering fairly heavily. It subsided by the time I got up.
That was a few days ago and now I still think the eye feels a little irritated, although there is no unusual redness. I also feel my vision is off slightly.
Could something flare up from an injury from that long ago? What could this be? Thank you
Answer Yes, there is such a thing as corneal erosion that can happen long after a corneal injury. This is where the top surface of the cornea heals superficially so you feel better but there is underlying damage to the tissue so the healing is not complete. Overnight the eyelid can sort of stick to the eyeball and when you open your eyes in the AM, the lid pulls that top layer of cells off the cornea and starts the abrasion (hence the pain) again.
You should definitely see an eye doctor if you think the vision is off right now and/or if this pain ever flares up again.
Meanwhile if I were you, I would put an artificial tear in that eye every night before bed for a long, long time - maybe up to a few years. What the artificial tear will do is provide a sort of protective layer between the eyeball and eyelid so they don't stick together and make the corneal erosion likely.
