Following reports that Kelly Osbourne scratched her eye while having mascara applied, the College of Optometrists has issued the below advice:
If you’ve experienced a scratch and the redness or watering has continued hours later, you may have a corneal abrasion. To help, we’ve created some top tips to guide you:
- Rinse, rinse, rinse – Make sure you rinse your eye with saline, NOT tap water. This will help to flush any foreign objects from your eye, including make-up debris.
- Blink! – Blinking can help get rid of any small objects you may have missed.
- Don’t touch your eye! – Rubbing your eye could disrupt the healing process, and in some cases, make the scratch worse. It’s also important not to use another implement; fingers, cotton swabs and other objects could hurt your eye more.
- Keep the UV rays away – It may be the case that your eye appears to be more sensitive to light following the scratch. Wearing sunglasses is a good way to protect your eyes throughout the year. Make sure they carry the “CE” mark to ensure that the sunglasses offer a safe level of UV protection.
- Avoid wearing contact lenses – Wear spectacles if you have them as wearing your lenses could cause an infection and delay healing.
- Contact your optometrist – If have further concerns or pain, contact your local optometrist.
For further guidance on make-up and eye health, visit our advice page.
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