Eye Injuries Treatment in Knoxville

Karns Vision

Eye Injuries Treatment When You Need It Most

Eye injuries can happen suddenly and without warning, from a stray piece of debris while working in the yard to an accidental scratch from a child’s fingernail during playtime. When these unexpected incidents occur, knowing where to turn for prompt, professional care can make all the difference in protecting your vision and ensuring proper healing. The delicate nature of your eyes means even seemingly minor injuries require careful evaluation to prevent complications and preserve your sight for years to come.

At Karns Vision Center, we understand the urgency and concern that accompanies eye injuries, which is why we’ve made emergency eye care a priority in our comprehensive services. Our team is equipped to handle a wide range of eye injuries with the compassion and skill you need during these stressful moments. We offer Saturday appointments from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and work patients in for urgent situations, ensuring you have access to quality eye care when accidents happen outside typical business hours.

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Dry eye disease affects up to 49 million Americans, leading to discomfort, irritation, and blurred vision. At Karns Vision Center, we offer OptiLight by Lumenis, the first and only FDA-approved intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy for dry eye management. This non-invasive treatment targets inflammation, helping to restore your tear film and provide long-term relief.

If dry, itchy, or watery eyes are affecting your daily life, it’s time to explore a clinically proven solution. Book a consultation today to see if OptiLight is right for you.

Common Types of Eye Injuries We Treat

Eye injuries come in many forms, each requiring specific treatment approaches to ensure optimal healing and prevent lasting damage. Corneal abrasions represent one of the most frequent types of eye injuries we see, often resulting from contact with tree branches, fingernails, or small particles like sand or dust. These scratches on the clear front surface of your eye can cause significant pain, tearing, and light sensitivity, but with proper treatment, most heal completely within a few days without permanent vision changes.

Foreign objects in the eye, whether it’s a piece of metal, wood chip, or even an eyelash, require careful removal to avoid further damage to delicate eye tissues. We use specialized instruments and techniques to safely extract foreign materials while minimizing discomfort and reducing the risk of infection. Chemical exposures, though less common, demand immediate attention and specific treatment protocols depending on the substance involved, as quick action can prevent serious complications.

Blunt trauma to the eye area from sports injuries, accidents, or falls can cause various problems ranging from simple bruising to more serious internal damage. We thoroughly evaluate these injuries using advanced diagnostic equipment to assess both the visible damage and any potential harm to internal eye structures. Flash burns from welding, tanning beds, or intense sunlight reflection can damage the cornea in ways similar to a sunburn, causing significant discomfort that typically improves with appropriate treatment over several days.

Our Approach to Emergency Eye Care

When you arrive at our office with an eye injury, our first priority is ensuring your comfort while quickly assessing the severity of your condition. We begin with a gentle but thorough examination to determine the extent of the injury and identify the best treatment approach for your specific situation. Our team understands that eye injuries can be frightening, so we take time to explain what we’re seeing and what steps we’ll take to help you heal properly.

Depending on your injury, treatment may involve careful cleaning of the affected area, application of antibiotic medications to prevent infection, or specialized procedures to remove foreign objects safely. We use numbing drops when necessary to minimize discomfort during treatment, and we provide detailed instructions for home care to support proper healing. For more serious injuries that require specialized care beyond our scope, we maintain relationships with excellent ophthalmologists in the Knoxville area and can facilitate urgent referrals when needed.

Our approach emphasizes both immediate relief and long-term healing, ensuring you understand warning signs to watch for and when to contact us with concerns. We schedule appropriate follow-up appointments to monitor your progress and make any necessary adjustments to your treatment plan. This comprehensive approach helps prevent complications and gives you confidence that your injury is healing properly.

Preventing Future Eye Injuries

While we’re always here to help when accidents happen, we believe prevention plays a crucial role in protecting your vision throughout your life. Many eye injuries occur during routine activities around the home or workplace, making awareness and simple precautions incredibly valuable. Wearing appropriate safety glasses during activities like yard work, home improvement projects, or sports can prevent the majority of eye injuries we see in our practice.

Understanding the risks associated with different activities helps you make informed decisions about eye protection. Activities involving chemicals, flying debris, or potential impact should always include proper eye protection, even for seemingly simple tasks. We’re happy to discuss the best types of safety eyewear for your specific hobbies or work requirements during your regular eye exams, helping you choose protection that’s both effective and comfortable to wear.

Teaching children about eye safety and modeling good habits around protective eyewear creates lifelong patterns that can prevent injuries as they grow and become more independent. Simple rules like not running with sharp objects, being careful around tree branches, and understanding when to wear safety glasses can significantly reduce the risk of accidents. Our team enjoys working with families to create eye safety awareness that protects everyone’s vision.

What to Do When Eye Injuries Occur

Knowing how to respond appropriately in the first moments after an eye injury can significantly impact your recovery and help prevent further damage. The most important rule is to avoid rubbing or putting pressure on an injured eye, as this can worsen scratches or drive foreign objects deeper into eye tissues. If you have something in your eye, resist the urge to rub and instead try gentle flushing with clean water or saline solution.

For chemical exposures, immediate and thorough flushing with clean water for at least 15 minutes is crucial, followed by prompt professional evaluation. Cover serious injuries loosely with a clean cloth or gauze, but avoid applying pressure or attempting to remove objects that appear to be embedded in the eye. These situations require professional assessment and care to prevent complications.

When in doubt about the severity of an eye injury, it’s always better to seek professional evaluation rather than wait and see if symptoms improve on their own. Our team can quickly determine whether your injury requires immediate treatment or if home care measures are appropriate. This professional assessment provides peace of mind and ensures you receive the right level of care for your specific situation.

Trust Your Eye Care to Karns Vision Center

At Karns Vision Center, we’re committed to providing compassionate, skilled care for all your eye health needs, including unexpected injuries that require prompt attention. Our experience treating a wide range of eye injuries, combined with our commitment to patient comfort and education, makes us a trusted choice for families throughout the Knoxville area. We understand that eye injuries can be stressful experiences, and we work hard to provide the reassurance and effective treatment you need during these challenging times.

Our convenient Saturday hours and willingness to work patients in for urgent situations reflect our dedication to being available when you need us most. We accept a variety of medical and vision insurance plans, making quality eye care accessible when emergencies arise. When you’re dealing with an eye injury, you need prompt, professional care you can trust. Contact us immediately at 865-247-7715 if you experience an eye injury, or visit our practice to learn more about our comprehensive approach to emergency eye care.