What Should You Do When an Eye Emergency Happens? A Guide for Emergency Eyecare
It is important to protect your eyes because your eye health impacts life-long vision. If something happens that damages your eye; then it is best to contact an experienced optometrist right away for emergency eye care. These eye emergencies can be a critical moment which will have an impact on whether or not you will be able to see when you get older.
What is an Eye Emergency?
Many times, people associate eye emergencies with accidents that cause damage to the eye. These experiences fall within the category of eye emergencies, but there are other situations that also fall into the category of an emergency. In fact, there are situations where an eye emergency might happen without any visible trauma.
The best thing that you can do is to stay familiar with the different types of emergency symptoms. If you experience anything that might indicate an emergency situation, then you need to contact your eye doctor right away.
During office hours, we will fit you into the schedule so that you can see an experienced eye specialist as soon as possible. If an emergency happens after hours, then we encourage you to call us so that we can evaluate the situation and determine if an immediate exam is needed.
Symptoms of an Eye Emergency
Here is a list of common symptoms that might happen during an eye emergency. Keep in mind that you might only experience one or two of these symptoms. Or, there are times when multiple symptoms could be present:
- A sudden loss of vision
- Double vision
- Lacerations or cuts on or around the eye
- Trauma to the eye from sports, an injury, or an accident
- Sudden change in vision that causes persistent blurring
- Eye redness combined with eye pain
- A sudden change that causes an eye to be turned or crossed
- Pain in the eye or the surrounding areas
- Circles of color around lights (halos)
- Swollen eye tissue
- A foreign piece of metal or glass in the eye
- A bulging eye
- Streaks or flashes of light
- Excessive tearing or discharge
- Discharge that causes the eyelids to stick together
- Contact lenses that are stuck to the eye
- Chemical exposure that causes pain, burning, or discomfort
Even small symptoms can turn into bigger vision problems later on. So, it is always best to call for emergency eye care if you suspect that you might be experiencing an eye emergency. Don’t wait to call, because prompt treatment is the best way to minimize the long-term damage from the accident.
Call Village Eyecare Right Away for Emergency Eye Care
When you identify the symptoms of an eye emergency, then you should pick up the phone and call our team at Village Eyecare. We will talk with you about the situation to determine the best course of action to ensure prompt treatment.
Keep in mind that you should visit the hospital if you are experiencing severe bleeding or other serious injuries. Medical professionals should administer life-saving treatments before talking about other options to protect non-life-threating conditions.
If you have a serious eye injury, then it is a good idea to ask a friend or family member to drive you to the appointment with an emergency eye doctor. It can be dangerous to drive yourself when your vision is limited.
For more information about emergency optometry services and treatments, contact Village Eyecare as soon as possible.
