How can I tell if my cornea has been scratched? It was early in the
morning and I thought I had my contact lens already in my right eye,
but I couldn't see properly still (everything was still blurry) so I
tried removing the contact lens, but later on found out I was tugging
on my cornea. I'm in my teens now and am unsure if the cornea has been
scratched; generally speaking, my vision hasn't been altered and so I
can't quite tell if my cornea has been truly scratched or not.

Please let me know how I can tell if my cornea has been scratched or
not, before I call up the optometrist!

Thanks in advance! :)

I have no medical advice to offer you, but I can tell you this...I
scratched my cornea once (in a spectacularly clumsy fashion, which I
won't go into here).  It was probably the single most painful
experience I've ever had in my life, one that prompted a dire visit to
the emergency room.

If you're not in pain, I'd take that as a very good sign.

Take care, now....

pafalafa-ga

Erm how badly was your cornea scratched? What did the doctor tell you
about it once you reached the emergency room?

Thanks!

Like pafalafa said, you'll know when you've scratched your cornea. It
is intensely painful.

To avoid corneal abrasions, always be sure to remove contacts before
sleep, even if they're soft lenses. I gave myself a corneal ulcer last
month after falling asleep with my soft lenses in. The soft lenses cut
off much of the blood supply to my cornea. Big mistake.

Although the pain didn't compare to what I've heard a corneal scratch
feels like, it was very uncomfortable.

Take your contacts out before bed. 

And if you wake up and your eyes are blurry, try blinking a few times
or rinsing with eye drops.

I've scratched it twice, once from sand and once by a laurel leaf
while I was pruning a hedge.

The first time was /immediately/ excruciatingly painful.

The second time, I sort of noticed it then about three hours later it
suddenly started hurting - it was agony.

Personally I would go to the optician if I had any doubts.

Alright, thanks for your comments! :) I'll be making an appointment
today for the docctor.

Optician - not doctor

Wouldn't an optometrist be better? Anyways, I'm seeing mine in an hour.

Opthamologist can help also.

Eye Doctor

An eye doctor is called an opthamologist. Periodic eye examinations by
an opthamologist is the best defense against eye disease. You can also
receive eye care from an optometrist or optician.

An optometrist is a college graduate who has received 4 years of
training and is licensed to diagnose and treat vision problems and
prescribe glasses and contact lenses.

An optician is a person trained to prepare and fit glasses after an
opthamologist or optometrist has examined your eyes and prescribed
vision correction.

Hello, I am currently training to become an optometrist and have had
some experience in the university clinic with testing for corneal
abrasion. The only way you'd be able to tell for sure if your cornea
is scratched you'd have to visit an optometrist. The standard test
used employs a slit lamp and fluorescein. The flurosine is dripped
into your eye with the aid of saline and then your eyes surface is
examined under cobalt blue light. Any abrasions will be clearly
visible as they will instantly appear as dark spots/ lines.

Go to your optometrist, the test is neither painful or time consuming.