Thus far the Chicago Bears have been relatively fortunate on the injury front. While a number of key players are nursing various ailments like concussions or strained muscles, only one notable season-ending loss has occurred. That being when Eric Kush tore his hamstring. That said a recent Jordan Howard injury has surfaced, and it’s more than a little odd.
It’s common knowledge at this point that Howard had surgery to improve his vision during the offseason. Scary to think about considering his vision was already pretty good. Unfortunately it seems his eye issues didn’t end with recovery from that surgery.
RB Jordan Howard won't play v. Cardinals Sat. He suffered what #Bears are calling a "minor" scratched cornea in today's walk-through.
— Bob LeGere (@BobLeGere) August 18, 2017
It seems an incident in practice took place where somebody or something got in Howard’s eye and caused a bit of damage. As a result he will be missed the second preseason game in Arizona.
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Is the Jordan Howard injury serious?
Of course this is bound to send Bears fans into fits of panic. Understandable. Howard is the absolute key to the offense this year. When he goes, it goes. The quarterbacks are not yet ready to shoulder that load, never mind the receivers. So the question inevitably comes up. How serious is a “minor scratched cornea.”
Here is a basic description courtesy of AllAboutVision.com about what exactly the ailment entails and its effect.
“The cornea is one of the most sensitive parts of your body, so even a very small corneal abrasion can be extremely painful and feel much larger in size — as if you have a big, rough object in your eye.
In addition to pain and a gritty or foreign body sensation, other signs and symptoms of corneal abrasions include redness, tearing, light sensitivity, headache, blurry or decreased vision, eye twitching, a dull ache and, occasionally, nausea.”
How long is he out?
Well that sounds unpleasant. Obviously the Bears have good reason not to play Howard. The game is meaningless for starters. There’s also the risk of further damaging the eye, which could have disastrous long-term effects beyond football for him. Nobody wants that. So here’s the million dollar follow-up. How long will it take him to recover?
If it’s indeed minor, not long at all.
“Treatment for a corneal abrasion depends on the severity of the wound and the cause. Minor abrasions sometimes can be treated with non-preserved lubricating drops to keep your eye moist and comfortable while your eye’s natural healing process takes place.
As a precaution, even superficial abrasions sometimes are also treated with antibiotic eye drops to prevent infection during healing. Superficial corneal abrasions tend to heal quickly, usually within two or three days.”
So there it is. If there is no further complications, Howard should be back for the third preseason matchup with the Tennessee Titans. All in all it’s a rather weird development, but should not impact the big picture.
