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A 37-year-old member asked:

How long does it take for your cornea to heal?

2 doctor answers5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Gregory Pinto
37 years experience
Corneal abrasion: If you have scratched your cornea (creating a "corneal abrasion"), your cornea often heals within 24-72 hours. Healing time may be longer, however, if the abrasion is deep, irregular or becomes infected. It is a good idea to have a scratched cornea evaluated by a physician.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
Dr. Lloyd Williams
Ophthalmology 15 years experience
About 1-4 days: It depends on the size of the scratch. Uncomplicated small scratches or abrasions can heal in 24 hours. The entire corneal surface can heal in 3-4 days. If there is infection, chemical burn, or other significant disease, though, all bets are off.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

Similar questions

A 29-year-old member asked:

How long does it take for scratched cornea to heal?

2 doctor answers4 doctors weighed in
Dr. James Eitner
Family Medicine 36 years experience
Typically, 24 hours: The cornea turns over new cells every 24 hours, so typically a scratch will heal withing 24-48 hours, depending on how deep the scratch may be. You also need to be concerned that there is still not a foreign body present in the eye or the eye becomes infected. If your vision is affected, the pain increases, symptoms not improving, the eye is getting more red or is matted in the am, see your doc.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 34-year-old member asked:

For how long does a ripped cornea heal?

1 doctor answer3 doctors weighed in
Dr. Stephen Khachikian
Ophthalmology 23 years experience
2-7 days: Depending on the severity of the injury this will usually take between one day and one week. If the injury is severe it can take longer.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 50-year-old member asked:

How long does it take for a scratched cornea to completely heal?

2 doctor answers11 doctors weighed in
Dr. Danny Proffitt
Family Medicine 45 years experience
12-24 hours: A simple corneal abrasion will heal in 12-24 hours. If you are still having pain after this, you may need to see your health care professional. Don't risk it!
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
A 45-year-old member asked:

How long does it take my cornea to grow back?

2 doctor answers5 doctors weighed in
Dr. Pavel Conovalciuc
Family Medicine 25 years experience
Not sure: I am not sure what the problem is by description. The only structure of the cornea that "can grow back" is epithelium. After a simple scratch it may regenerate in 24 hours. If deeper structures are involved, the damage may be irreversible.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.

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Last updated Sep 12, 2017

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