A grain of sand may be tiny, but it can be extremely painful and irritating if it gets in your eye. Small objects like sand can scratch your cornea, the clear tissue covering the front of your eye, which can cause pain, tearing and blurred vision. Most of the time, you can quickly rid your eye of sand or other foreign particles without medical assistance.
Step 1
Wash your hands with soap and water.
Step 2
Blink to encourage natural tear production. Pull your upper eyelid over your lower eyelid and roll your eye; this also causes tear production that can flush the sand out.
Step 3
Flush your eye out with clean water or saline solution. Pour the water or solution into your eye with a clean cup, an eye wash cup or your clean hand. You can even use an outside water hose if necessary, according to the Cleveland Clinic. It may help to gently lift your eyelid away from your eye while you flush it.
Step 4
Use a cotton swab, washcloth or soft tissue to gently remove a speck of sand that you can see on the white part of your eye. Do not try to remove an object on the colored part of your eye, as this could damage your cornea, warns the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Step 5
Seek medical help if you cannot get the sand out of your eye. If you experience eye pain and discomfort even after the sand is removed, see your doctor or eye doctor to determine if you have a corneal abrasion that needs to be treated.
Tips and Warnings
- When one of your eyes is irritated, It may be hard for you to keep your eyes open to locate a foreign object. If the sand does not come out right away, it may be helpful to have another person inspect your eye to locate the sand.
- Never rub or press your eye when you have sand or another object in it. You could injure your cornea. Make sure your hands, the hands of anyone helping you and any equipment are clean before you try to remove an object from your eye. Germs from your hands or other objects could lead to an eye infection.
Things You'll Need
- Soap
- Water or saline solution
- Cup, eye wash cup, or water hose
- Cotton swab, washcloth or tissue
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