If your child got something in their eye, was scratched, hit, or exposed to a chemical, get clear next-step guidance fast. Learn what to do now, when to flush the eye, and when urgent care may be needed.
About this assessment
Answer a few questions to get personalized guidance for your child’s eye injury, including safe first aid steps and signs that mean you should seek medical care right away.
Eye injuries can look minor at first, but the right first aid depends on what caused the problem. If something is stuck in the eye, avoid rubbing and do not try to remove anything embedded in the eye. If a chemical got in the eye, start rinsing right away. If the eye was scratched, poked, or hit, keep your child from rubbing it and watch for pain, tearing, swelling, trouble opening the eye, or changes in vision. A quick assessment can help you decide whether home care is reasonable or if your child should be seen urgently.
If your child got something in their eye, have them blink several times and use clean water or saline to gently flush the eye. Do not rub the eye or use tweezers, cotton swabs, or fingers to remove an object from the eyeball.
If your child got chemical in the eye, begin rinsing immediately with lukewarm water and keep flushing for at least 15 minutes. Remove contact lenses if present and easy to take out. Seek urgent medical advice after rinsing, especially for cleaning products, detergents, or unknown substances.
For a scratched or injured eye, do not patch the eye unless a clinician tells you to. Use a cool compress over the closed eye for comfort, and get medical care if your child has ongoing pain, light sensitivity, trouble seeing, bleeding, or cannot keep the eye open.
Use clean lukewarm tap water, sterile saline, or eyewash if available. Let the water run from the inner corner toward the outer corner so material washes away from the other eye.
For toddlers and younger children, it may help to wrap them in a towel and tilt the head so the injured eye is lower. Reassure them and flush in short, steady intervals if they resist.
If pain continues after flushing, your child says they cannot see well, the eye looks cloudy, there is blood in the eye, or something seems stuck in the eye surface, get medical care promptly.
Blurry vision, double vision, trouble focusing, or your child saying they cannot see normally should be checked right away.
Sudden severe eye pain, intense light sensitivity, or an eye that stays tightly shut can signal a more serious injury.
Seek urgent care if there is bleeding, a cut near the eye, swelling that is getting worse, a misshapen pupil, or symptoms that do not improve after first aid.
Have your child avoid rubbing the eye. Try blinking and gently flush the eye with clean water or saline. If the object does not come out, if it seems embedded, or if your child has pain, tearing, or trouble seeing, seek medical care.
Use lukewarm clean water or saline and rinse gently from the inner corner to the outer corner. Continue flushing for several minutes for dust or debris, and at least 15 minutes if a chemical got in the eye.
Start rinsing immediately and keep rinsing for at least 15 minutes. Do not wait to see if symptoms improve before flushing. After rinsing, contact a medical professional promptly, especially if the chemical was a cleaner, detergent, or unknown product.
A scratched eye may cause pain, tearing, redness, blinking more than usual, light sensitivity, or a feeling that something is still in the eye. Because scratches can be hard to judge at home, persistent symptoms should be evaluated.
Get urgent care if your toddler has severe pain, cannot open the eye, has vision changes, bleeding, swelling that is worsening, a chemical exposure, or if something appears stuck in or on the eye.
Personalized assessment
Answer a few questions about what happened to your child’s eye to get clear first aid steps, advice on how to rinse or protect the eye, and help deciding when to seek urgent care.