Eye Emergencies

Common eye emergencies include; trauma, cuts, scratches, foreign objects in the eye, burns, chemical exposure, and blunt injuries to the eye or eyelid. Since the eye is easily damaged, serious complications can occur from an eye injury thus, any of these conditions without proper treatment can lead to a partial loss of vision or even permanent blindness. Likewise, certain eye infections, other medical conditions, such as blood clots or glaucoma, and eye problems such as a painful red eye or vision loss that are not due to injury also need urgent medical attention.

Any of the following symptoms may warrant urgent evaluation with your eye doctor :

• Bleeding or other discharge from or around the eye

• Decreased vision

• Double vision

• Loss of vision, total or partial, in one eye or both

• Eye pain

• New or severe headaches

• Itchy or swollen eyes

• Redness or bloodshot appearance

• A sensation of something in the eye

• Sensitivity to light

• Stinging or burning in the eye

• One eye is not moving like the other

• One eye is sticking out or bulging

• Nausea or headache occurs with eye pain (this may be a symptom of glaucoma or stroke).

How to prevent eye injuries

Eye injuries can happen anywhere. Accidents can happen during high-risk activities, but also in places where you least expect them. There are things that can be done to decrease the risk of eye injuries, including wearing protective eyewear when using power tools or engaging in high-risk sporting events, following the directions carefully when working with chemicals or cleaning supplies, keeping scissors, knives, and other sharp instruments away from young children, and keeping a distance from amateur fireworks.

​​​​​​​To decrease the chances of developing permanent eye damage, immediate medical evaluation is necessary in the event of an eye injury.