What can cause foreign body sensation in one eye? - Dr. Elankumaran P

Foreign body sensation is particularly in those who work outdoors, or those who work in long terms in video display terminals, which include the TV’s and the computers. The common causes for this without a real foreign body is dry eye disease syndrome, computer vision syndrome, allergic conjunctivitis, meibominitis, blepheritis. Most of these causes can be eliminated by using simple hygienic procedures such as blinking frequently. When we say blinking frequently, it should atleast be 15 to 20 times, in a minute. This applies to people who are using more of video display terminals such as computers. Apart from this, a cold compress can be given. A cloth can be dipped in cold water or an ice cube can be placed in a towel. Within 5- 10 minutes, the foreign body sensation will disappear. In those people with meibominitis or blepheritis in simple ways, this is just excess oil secretion from the lids. In this case, hot compression can be given, wherein a towel is dipped into hot water or warm water and it is placed on the closed lids. Also baby shampoos can be used to improve the hygiene of the lids. If none of these work, the best is to consult an ophthalmologist. He or she may prescribe eye drops to reduce the original problem. Very rarely some corneal infections or inflammatory problems can also causes these problems. These problems need to be identified as early as possible. Otherwise they might lead to complete loss of vision also. Therefore it is always better to consult an ophthalmologist as early as possible preferably within 24 hours of onset of foreign body sensation.