Treating simple corneal abrasions with a patch does not improve healing rates on the first day post-injury and does not reduce pain. In addition, use of patches results in a loss of binocular vision. Therefore it is recommended that patches should not be used for simple corneal abrasions. Further research should focus on large (greater than 10 mm2) abrasions.
The evaluation of eye patching in the treatment of traumatic corneal epithelial defects.
The objective of this study was to compare the rates of healing for patched and non-patched traumatic corneal epithelial defects (CEDs) after 1 day of treatment. To achieve this we initiated a randomized, controlled, prospective, clinical investigation comparing patching vs. non-patching of CEDs. Patients were evaluated initially and at 24 h using slit lamp biomicroscopy, and each corneal epithelial defect was documented on standardized initial and follow-up grid sheets. Percentage of healing and healing rates were determined by comparing the grid sheets. Our results found no significant difference in abrasion size between the two groups, but there was found to be a significantly improved rate of healing at follow-up in non-patched patients. This study demonstrates a significant improvement in the healing rate of traumatic CEDs in the non-patched group as compared to the patched group; therefore, the use of eye patching is not mandatory for corneal epithelial healing to occur.