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Seeking help when you have an eye care emergency is vital, as emergencies can put your sight at risk. Eyes are especially sensitive to injury, irritants, and sudden health changes. Emergency health care should be your first call if you suspect a life-threatening injury. For most eye emergency cases, the expert team at Beyond Vision is able to diagnose and treat eye emergencies.

What causes an eye emergency?

Eye emergencies are the result of a foreign object or chemicals in your eye, or when an injury or burn affects your eye area. Often, eye emergencies cause obvious eye trauma that affects vision, causes severe eye pain or vision loss.

Four common types of eye emergencies are: foreign bodies, blunt trauma, eye disease, and chemical exposure.

1. Foreign Bodies

Most smaller foreign bodies like eyelashes, hair, and dust particles won’t cause an eye emergency and typically resolve on their own. Small foreign bodies like sharp grains of sand, for example, can scratch the surface of the eye. Scratches can also heal on their own, but you may need eye drops to prevent infection in these types of emergencies.

Larger and sharper foreign bodies can cause severe damage and you should never try to remove them yourself. This is when the help of a health professional is essential.

2. Blunt Trauma

Blunt trauma is any injury from a force directed at your eye or surrounding area. Different types of force can lead to eye injuries, but the most common are sports-related activities, falls, and impact from a car accident or a punch. Injuries from blunt trauma can range from mild to severe, with the possibility of blindness.

Symptoms of blunt eye trauma may include:

• Pain
• Redness
• Bruising
• Bleeding
• Swelling
• Blurry vision
• Double vision
• Flashes of light
• Vision problems
• Floaters or dark spots
• Problems with eye movement
• Changes in eye appearance

3. Eye Disease

Eye diseases often develop slowly, but any sudden change in symptoms or vision is considered an eye emergency. If you experience a sudden change in symptoms, you should book an appointment with your doctor immediately using our online booking system.

Emergency eye symptoms include:

• Eye pain
• Redness
• Bleeding
• Discharge
• Vision loss
• Blurry vision
• Bulging eye
• Double vision
• Bruising around eye
• Sudden light sensitivity
• Burning or stinging
• Pupils that are different sizes
• Irritation or severe itchiness
• Eyes not moving together
• New or severe headaches

4. Chemical Exposure

Chemical exposure or a chemical burn is when a foreign substance or chemical enters the eye. This can happen from rubbing your eyes without properly washing your hands after using cleaning products, hand sanitizers, or kitchen ingredients. Certain chemicals can cause eye burns, which can cause discomfort and, in extreme cases, permanent damage like blindness.

Symptoms of chemical exposure include:

• Pain
• Redness
• Irritation
• Blurry vision
• Watery eyes
• Inability to keep eye open
• Swelling (eye tissue or eyelids)
• Feeling something in the eye

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms and suspect you have chemical exposure, immediately flush your eyes with lukewarm water. Next, book an emergency eye care appointment with us to determine steps for treatment.