Question:
I scratched my eye while taking out a contact lens. My thumbnail was longer than I expected, and somehow I scratched the white part of my eyeball. Of course, it is bloodshot now, and a little irritating. I have not put another contact lens in, and was not planning on doing so. In a way, I was wondering if I should put a new soft contact in, as a sort of protection from bacteria? Or should I wear a patch? Please help.
Answer:
Probably by the time you read this, your eye has healed as the eye surface heals quickly. To answer your question, I would not recommend putting in a new contact lens until your eye surface heals. Contact lenses may relieve the pain, but may also trap germs and risk infection. Placing a patch would probably help, but if you have minimal pain, I would do nothing. I
f you develop pain, increasing redness,discharge or decreased vision, you should consult an
ophthalmologist (an
Eye M.D.) as you could have an infection or other related problem.
Answered by:
Ivan Schwab, MD 
