You are grinding metal, working under a car, or swinging a hammer, and suddenly your eye feels like something is in it, because something is. That gritty, sharp sensation means a metal fragment has likely embedded itself in your cornea, and every hour you wait makes the situation more complicated. Metal does not stay inert in your eye. It begins to oxidize, forming a rust ring in the surrounding tissue within hours of contact, and rust rings are significantly harder to treat than the original foreign body.
At Vision Source Mandan, Dr. Brittany Schauer, Dr. Wayne Aberle, and Dr. Danielle Dyke see this exact scenario on a regular basis, blue-collar workers who knew something was wrong and spent a day or two hoping it would clear up on its own before finally coming in. Our emergency eye care team is equipped to handle foreign body removal the same day, and in most cases, you do not need to sit in an emergency room to get the right treatment.
Why the ER Is Often the Wrong First Call
Emergency rooms handle life-threatening situations around the clock, and that is exactly what they are built for. Eye injuries involving a metal fragment, however, require specialized tools, a slit-lamp microscope, and a provider trained to work precisely on the surface of the eye. Most emergency rooms do not have an optometrist on staff, and the care you receive may address your immediate discomfort without fully resolving the problem, which is why many patients end up in our office anyway after an ER visit.
According to the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, approximately 2,000 U.S. workers sustain a job-related eye injury requiring medical treatment every single day. Metal slivers and chips are among the most common causes. These are not rare events, and your eye doctor’s office is set up to handle them efficiently, often with same-day appointments for established patients.
What Happens When Metal Stays Too Long
The timeline matters more than most people realize. A metal fragment that has been in the eye for just a few hours may already have started to rust. That rust causes an inflammatory reaction in the surrounding corneal tissue, delays healing, and can promote scarring if it is not properly removed. The longer it sits, the deeper the rust ring forms, and the more involved the removal process becomes.
Dr. Dyke and our team use a slit-lamp and, when necessary, a burr tool designed specifically for rust ring removal, procedures ERs rarely perform on-site. After removal, we assess for eye injuries to surrounding structures, prescribe antibiotic drops to prevent infection, and schedule follow-up to confirm proper healing. Treatment for a corneal abrasion caused by the impact is also addressed at the same visit.
What to Do Before You Come In
If you have metal in your eye, the most important thing to do is call us right away. While you wait for your appointment, keep these steps in mind.
- Do not rub your eye: Rubbing can drive the fragment deeper into the cornea or cause additional scratching to the surface.
- Do not try to remove it yourself: Home attempts to dig out a metal fragment can cause far more damage than the fragment itself.
- Cover the eye loosely if needed: A clean, loose covering can reduce irritation from blinking, but do not apply pressure.
- Avoid contact lenses: If you normally wear contacts, leave them out until a provider clears you.
- Call ahead: Let our team know what happened so we can triage you appropriately and have the right setup ready.
These steps apply to most surface-level foreign body situations. If you experience sudden vision loss, severe pain, or believe the fragment may have fully penetrated the eye, this requires immediate evaluation. Our team can help you determine the right path based on your symptoms when you call about eye infections and injuries.
When You Work With Your Hands, Protect Your Eyes
Workers in trades, manufacturing, construction, and agriculture are at the highest risk for metal foreign body injuries. We see patients across the Mandan and Bismarck area who work in these industries and return regularly, sometimes having experienced the same type of workplace eye injury more than once.
Proper safety eyewear dramatically reduces risk, and we are happy to discuss what types of protection are appropriate for your specific work environment.
Get the Right Care at Vision Source Mandan
Vision Source Mandan has been a trusted part of the Mandan and Bismarck community for over 70 years, and emergency eye care is one of the services our team takes seriously. Dr. Schauer, Dr. Aberle, and Dr. Dyke offer same-day appointments for urgent eye concerns, and we have the equipment and training to manage metal foreign body removal from start to finish.
Do not wait out an eye injury or assume it will heal on its own. Contact our office as soon as you notice symptoms, and let us take care of it the right way the first time.