Eye damage may result from eye disease or from an injury. In either case, when symptoms of damage appear, a person should contact her eye doctor or go directly to the emergency room. Prompt evaluation of many conditions will often help doctors treat the damage and return the eye to good health. As such, a person should know the symptoms of eye damage and when to seek treatment.
Appearance
One of the most noticeable signs of eye damage is the appearance of the eye. The obvious eye trauma, such as an object protruding from the eye, requires immediate care. A person should not try to remove the foreign body from the eye, especially if the object punctured the eye. Less obvious eye damage may cause subtle changes in appearance, such as pupil size. As well, the iris, the colored muscle of the eye, may have damage if an eye trauma occurs. Looking at the eye, a person may see a black spot in the iris, or a notch at the edge of the pupil, causing and irregular shape to the pupil, says MedlinePlus. A person with these changes to the iris, called a coloboma, should contact an eye doctor for an evaluation. Any other, sudden changes in eye appearance require an examination in order to prevent permanent damage to the eye.
Comfort
Eye pain and discomfort may indicate damage to the eye. Some discomfort may disappear rather quickly. Conditions such as dry eye or pink eye will typically cause surface irritation, but, for many people, the discomfort will improve with time and with the use of artificial tears. However, eye pain may result from damaging eye disease, such as glaucoma, says MedlinePlus. Glaucoma often takes many years to cause damage, but one type of the disease, called closed angle glaucoma, occurs suddenly, causing intense pain accompanied by nausea and vomiting. In order to prevent loss of vision in the eye, a person must seek medical treatment immediately to lower the eye pressure. Other conditions, such as uveitis, an infection inside the eye itself, will also cause eye pain, as well as light sensitivity.
Vision
Vision changes may indicate damage to the eye. Gradual changes may improve with a new eye glass prescription. However, some people with eye conditions, such as cataracts, that cause gradual vision changes, may require surgery to resolve the condition. Sudden vision changes often indicate a more serious condition. For example, if many black spots appear in a person's vision, or she has a dark "curtain" that blocks out an area of vision, she may have a retinal detachment, says the National Eye Institute. This condition requires immediate evaluation and treatment in order to return vision. Other conditions that damage the eye and may cause vision changes include macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. A person with any changes to her vision should contact her eye doctor.
