How to Remove Dirt from Eyes

Dust in the eyes is a common occurrence, especially if you are often outdoors. It can be quite annoying, and can also cause long-term problems if you don’t find a solution right away. In most cases, there are several steps you can take to remove dirt from your eyes on your own. However, if the condition persists, you should see your doctor.

Table of Contents

Remove Dirt

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Blink of an eye. You can remove dirt from your eyes without much effort. Once you know that dust has entered your eyes, blink several times. The blinking reflex will allow your eyelashes and eyelids to produce tears and remove bacteria and dirt from your eyes.

If blinking doesn’t help, you should widen your upper and lower eyelids and then blink continuously. This action will allow the eyelashes of the lower eyelid to remove dust from your eyes. ^{[1] X Trusted Source University of Rochester Medical Center Go to Source}

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Hand washing. If blinking doesn’t help you get rid of the dirt, you need to intervene. However, before touching your eyes, you need to wash your hands. Washing your hands before touching your eyes is important in reducing the risk of spreading bacteria, germs, or irritants to your eyes. You wouldn’t want to infect your eyes with something worse in the process of removing dirt from your eyes.

Wash hands with antibacterial soap and warm water. Dry your hands with a clean towel. ^{[2] X Research Source}

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Wipe off excess tears. When dust gets into your eyes, you will have more tears than usual. If this happens, close your eyes gently and gently pat the tissue over your eyes. Excess tears will help you remove dirt in your eyes.

Allow your eyes to get wet with water and allow tears to wash them away.
Do not rub your eyes . You should only use a tissue to gently blot away excess tears as they drain from your eyes. ^{[3] X Trusted Source University of Rochester Medical Center Go to Source}

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Eye check. Pull the lower eyelid down and slowly look around, looking for anything stuck in the eyelid. Do the same for the upper eyelid, looking for dirt stuck in your eyeball.

If you want to examine the area below the eyelid, you can place a cotton swab above the upper eyelid to turn the eyelid up. ^{[4] X Research Source} This method will allow you to look for any dust particles trapped in the eyelids. ^{[5] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}
If you’re having a hard time finding dirt, you can ask a friend or relative to check your eyes for you.

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Remove dirt. If the dust is on your eyelids or in an easily accessible area of your eye, you can use a cotton swab to remove it. If you have located the dirt in your eyes or eyelids, you can use a cotton swab to absorb the dust particles. Dirt will stick to the tip of the cotton swab after you dab the cotton swab in your eyes a few times.

Do not stab or rub the cotton swab vigorously on the dust particle. This action can push dirt deep into your eyelids. If the dust doesn’t get out of your eyes when you get into it, you should try another method.

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Rinse eyes. If blinking or using a cotton swab doesn’t help remove the dirt, wash your eyes. To wash dust out of your eyes, you can use sterile over-the-counter eye drops or fill your eyes with clean water with a cup. Keep pouring water over your eyes while keeping them open for 15 minutes. Even if the dirt has passed from your eyes, you should continue to do this to clear any residue left in your eyes. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

You can also use the gentle pressure of the stream from your faucet to wash away the dust from your eyes, using your hands to keep your eyes open. ^{[7] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to Source}
Look for an eyewash that has a pH of 7.0. Use water with a temperature between 15°C (60°F) and 37°C (100°F) to maintain eye comfort. ^{[8] X Trusted Source US Occupational Safety and Health Administration Go to source}
If you have an eyewash available, which you can find at most drugstores, you can use it to clean your eyes.

Eye care

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Prepare yourself for discomfort. You will experience some discomfort after removing dirt from your eyes. Itching or eye discomfort is common, even if you have removed dirt from your eyes. This is part of the natural healing phase and takes about 24 hours for you to recover. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Protect your eyes immediately afterwards. Take precautions to protect your eyes during recovery. During this stage, your eyes will be extremely sensitive. Eye protection includes:

Protect your eyes from ultraviolet rays or bright light by wearing sunglasses.
Avoid using contact lenses until your eye doctor tells you to.
Avoid touching your eyes and wash your hands immediately after touching the area around your eyes.
Inform and report to your eye care professional if symptoms arise or if pain is beyond your tolerance.
If you continue to experience itching or eye discomfort for more than a day after the dust has been removed from your eyes, you should see your doctor.

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Seek help. If the condition gets worse, you need to see a specialist. You may experience some side effects after the dust removal procedure, but they should not last more than 24 hours. Persistent discomfort or irritation could be a sign of a larger problem or infection. Symptoms to look out for include:

Blurred vision or seeing one picture in two
Persistent or increasing pain
Blood covers part of the iris
Sensitive to light
Signs of infection ^{[11] X Research source}
Nausea or vomiting
Headache or dizziness
Dizziness or unconsciousness ^{[12] X Trusted Source University of Rochester Medical Center Go to source}

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Don’t take actions that make matters worse. There are many actions that you should avoid when dealing with eye problems. They can cause eye injury or serious eye pain. These actions include: ^{[13] X Trusted Source Mayo Clinic Go to source}

Remove any piece of metal stuck in your eye no matter how big or small it is.
Apply pressure to the eye to try to remove the dirt.
Use tweezers, toothpicks, or other hard objects to remove dirt.

Advice

If anything more serious than dirt or minor irritants gets into your eyes, you should seek medical help. Never use the above methods to remove acids or other potentially corrosive liquids from the eye.

Steps

Remove Dirt

Eye care

Advice

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