Short Term Topical Tetracaine is Safe and Highly Efficacious for the Treatment of Pain Caused by Corneal Abrasions

Inclusion Criteria: * All patients aged 18 years to 80 years old presenting to the ED with suspected acute corneal abrasion from mechanical trauma or removal of a foreign body by the physician were included Exclusion Criteria: * Patients were excluded if they wore contact lenses, had previous corneal surgery or transplant in the affected eye, presented more than 36 hours after their injury, had a grossly contaminated foreign body or coexisting ocular infection. Additional exclusion criteria were pregnancy, retained foreign body, penetrating eye injury, immunosuppression, allergy to study medication, inability to attend follow up, inability to fluently read and speak English or Spanish, or any injury requiring urgent ophthalmologic evaluation (large or complicated abrasions with significant vision loss, corneal ulcers, corneal lacerations).