I had an injury to my eye recently and it now itches. Does that mean it's healing?
APR 14, 2014
Question:
I had an eye trauma as a result of a friend accidentally poking me in the eye with a key. I went to the hospital and was prescribed eyedrops and ampiclox. A day after the incident I noticed a large subconjunctival hemorrhage (bruise on the white of the eye) and the cut that was made by the key on my sclera. It is six days since the accident and I am having serious itching on both the affected and non-affected eye though the pain is subsiding. Some friends told me the itching is a sign of healing. Is that true?
Answer:
Subconjunctival hemorrhages can have a shocking appearance due to the wide spread of the blood in the space between the conjunctiva and the underlying sclera. Since the conjunctiva is so thin, the blood is bright red until it is absorbed into the eye again, which always happens. The key cut through the conjunctiva but almost certainly did not cut into the sclera and the conjunctiva is now healing (might be healed after six days). Itching is a sign of healing, however, you mentioned there is itching in both eyes. This seems to me to be a problem with allergy in both eyes from some other source. Have you had allergic issues in the past? Are both eyes newly red in the same way? Could you have had some exposure to some allergen in the last several days? You might consider seeing your ophthalmologist for a diagnosis.