Health Tip: What to Do if You Scratch Your Eye

-- If your eye hurts, you feel like there's something stuck in your eye or you have tearing or redness, you may have scratched your eye.

If you think that's the case, the American Academy of Ophthalmology suggests:

• See an eye doctor without delay.
• Rinse your eye with saline solution or clean water using an eyecup or a small clean glass. The fluid may help flush any foreign object.
• Blink repeatedly to rid your eye of small dust or sand.
• Pull your upper eyelid over your lower eyelid.
• Wear sunglasses.
• Do not rub your eye or touch any object to it.
• Do not wear contact lenses, which can slow the healing process and may trigger complications.