Abrasion consists of producing wear through friction.
Abrasion is the fact and consequence of scratching or wearing through friction . Derived from the Latin word abradĕre , in the field of medicine it is a concept that refers to the almost superficial injury or ulcer of the epithelium or mucous membranes due to trauma or a burn . Also, according to its meaning, it describes the irritating power of energetic purgatives.
Corneal abrasion , to cite a specific 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 sudden contact with a nail or a sharp object, from contact lenses or from the entry of a foreign body into the eye (such as dirt, dust or sand).
Symptoms of corneal abrasion
Among the most common symptoms experienced by a person suffering from a corneal abrasion are watering, redness of the eye, blurred vision, headache, pain when opening and closing the eyes or the sensation of having a body. strange in the aforementioned eye.
Those who have these symptoms should, of course, go to a specialized health professional such as an ophthalmologist to carry out the corresponding examination and analysis. In this sense, the most common thing is that said doctor, to properly diagnose said abrasion, chooses to perform a test called fluorescence staining.
This test consists of or is based on the use of blue light, which is what makes it possible to determine damage to the aforementioned cornea, and an orange 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 prescribe antibiotic drops or ointments of various types to reduce both inflammation and 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.
The mechanical action of water causes marine abrasion that affects the rocks.
The concept in geology
For geology , abrasion refers to a process marked by a considerable level of wear or destruction caused to the Earth's surface when external agents tear off fragments of matter .
Marine abrasion , on the other hand, identifies the wear and tear that rocks suffer due to the mechanical action of water, which drags particles accumulated from successive debris. This process affects the formation of steep coasts.
In addition to those mentioned, glacial abrasion can be mentioned, which is characterized by leaving the beds of glaciers eroded, a process that is triggered by the presence of solid materials dragged by the ice. The fine grains, which are known generically as glacial flour, generate a glacial polish in the bed rock.
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 parent rock from exogenous geological processes, such as the action of living beings, wind, water or temperature changes, among others.