abrasion

Derived from the Latin word I will embrace, the notion of abrasion is linked to the fact and consequence of fraying or wearing through friction. In the medical field, abrasion is a concept that refers to the almost superficial sore or ulcer epithelium or mucous membranes due to trauma or burn. Also, according to its meaning, it describes the irritating power of energetic purgatives.

The corneal abrasion, to cite a concrete example, consists of a scratch, injury, or a certain injury that affects the cornea (that is, the transparent surface that covers the front part of the eye), which can be caused by a sudden contact with a nail or a sharp object, by contact lenses or from the entry of a foreign body into the eye ( such as dirt, dust or sand).

Among the most common symptoms experienced by a person suffering from a corneal abrasion are tearing, redness of the eye, blurred vision, headache, pain when opening and closing the eyes or the sensation of having a body. strange in said eye.

Those who have these aforementioned symptoms should, of course, go to a specialized health professional such as the ophthalmologist so that he can carry out the corresponding examination and analysis. In this sense, the most common is that said doctor, to properly diagnose said abrasion, chooses to perform a test that is called fluorescence staining.

This test consists of or is based on the use of what is a blue light, which is what allows to determine the damage to the aforementioned cornea, and an orange-colored ink which is what is called fluorescein.

Once said damage to the eye has been diagnosed, the doctor will assess its severity and, based on it, will establish one treatment or another. Thus, for example, you can carry out the prescription of antibiotic drops or ointments of different types to reduce inflammation as well as to reduce the risk of scarring.

In the same way, you can also choose to put a patch on the affected person and recommend the use of sunglasses to protect the eye for a certain time. However, it must be emphasized that when it is a minor abrasion, it can heal on its own.

For the geology, the abrasion refers to a process marked by considerable wear or level of destruction caused on the Earth's surface when external agents tear off fragments of matter.

The marine abrasion, on the other hand, it identifies the wear suffered by rocks due to the mechanical action of water, which carries accumulated particles from successive debris. This process affects the formation of steep coasts.

In addition to those mentioned, it is possible to cite the glacial abrasion, one that is characterized by leaving the glacier beds eroded, a process that is triggered by the presence of solid materials carried by the ice. The fine grains, which are known generically by the name of glacial flour, generate a glacial polish in the rock of the riverbed.

As you may have seen, the concept of abrasion is closely related to that of erosion, which is based on a procedure of subtraction or wear of the mother rock from exogenous geological processes, such as the action of living beings, wind, water or changes in temperature, among others.