Is a scratchy, gritty feeling normal after an eye injection?

What's normal

This is the single most common complaint after an injection and it catches people off guard, because it feels like there is a piece of grit or an eyelash trapped under the lid that you cannot blink out. The ASRS explains it directly: sometimes after an intravitreal injection you may get the feeling that something is in your eye, and this can be a reaction to povidone-iodine, which is used to clean the eye before the injection. Nothing is actually stuck in there.

It starts as the numbing wears off, usually within the first hour or two, and it is typically worst that evening and the next morning. The AAO says you may have some eye irritation for a few hours. A qualitative BMJ Open study of patients receiving these injections found some described soreness and irritation lasting up to roughly 36 hours. For most people it is gone or nearly gone by day 2.

Preservative-free artificial tears are the usual answer. The ASRS says artificial tears, preferably sterile single use droppers, can be used to help ease symptoms of dryness and surface irritation. Do not rub, since rubbing a numb, antiseptic-coated eye can scratch the surface and make the feeling last longer.

Starts within 1 to 2 hours as the numbing fades, peaks the same evening and next morning, usually settles within 24 to 48 hours.

When it stops being normal

Call the retina office if the gritty feeling is getting worse day by day instead of better, if it is still significant beyond about two to three days, or if it turns into real pain. The AAO instructs ophthalmologists to have patients promptly report pain, worsening redness, reduced vision, increased light sensitivity or increased floaters, since those can signal infection inside the eye.

A gritty feeling that comes with a sharp stabbing pain and heavy tearing can also be a corneal scratch, which is not dangerous but is treatable and worth a call so you are not left uncomfortable for days.