Emergency Eye Care

Chemical eye injuries can occur from activities around your home like cleaning, or at work. Chemicals from cleaning products, garden chemicals, and industrial chemicals can accidentally get in your eyes from spills or sprays.

If you get chemicals in your eyes, the following steps can help:

• Wash your hands with soap and cool water thoroughly.

• Turn your head, so the affected eye is down and to the side.

• Hold the affected eyelid open and flush it out with clean tap water for 15 minutes.
  
  

A chemical spill in your eyes can cause serious damage, and you should seek urgent care as soon as possible.

Flashes appear as bright, flickers of lights in your field of vision, and they can appear on and off over weeks or even months. As you age, occasional flashes may become more regular, but random new flashes should be checked by your eye doctor immediately as they can signal something worse, like a retinal detachment.

Floaters appear as small squiggly lines or cobwebs in your field of vision. And, while they look to be in your central vision, they are made of tiny clumps of gel or cells floating around inside your eyes, casting a shadow in your vision.

You should contact your eye doctor right away if:

• A gray curtain covers part of your vision

• You notice many new floaters

• You have an increased amount of flashes

• A shadow appears in your peripheral vision
  
  

These symptoms can indicate more serious vision issues, so you should have it checked out by our team to be safe.

Your eyes are extremely sensitive to trauma. A cut or scratch to your eyeballs or eyelids can indicate the need for urgent medical care. Applying a loose bandage to the affected area at the moment while you wait for medical attention can help protect the area from further damage.

It’s important not to apply too much pressure to the injured area.

Small foreign objects such as sand or dust can get in your eyes randomly throughout the day and cause discomfort. There are some steps you can take to help manage discomfort:

• Avoid rubbing your eye and try blinking to clear out the object.

• Wash your hands and examine your eye to try to locate the object.

• Use artificial tear eye drops to rinse out the object.

• Flush the object out with cool water if it’s stuck on or under your eyelid.

• Contact us for emergency eye care if the object cannot be removed, and irritation continues.
  
  

Large foreign objects like glass or metal can cause severe damage if they get stuck in your eyes.

If a large foreign object is stuck in your eyes, it’s essential not to touch the object. Do not apply pressure or attempt to remove it. Leave it as is and seek immediate emergency medical attention.

Conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye, happens when there is an inflammation or infection of the transparent membrane that lines the eyelid and covers the front of your eyes.

Some common signs and symptoms of conjunctivitis can include:

• Eye redness

• Tearing in the affected eye

• A pus-like discharge

• Itchy eyes
  
  

Conjunctivitis may not always be an eye emergency, but in some cases, conjunctivitis can be contagious and cause eye pain and severe redness. In severe cases of conjunctivitis, you may require urgent eye care to treat and manage it.