Compassionate Emergency Care When You Need It Most

At Total Vision, we offer total vision care, including emergency eye care. When you need immediate optometric help, our experienced and knowledgeable staff is here to help.

An eye emergency can include an injury or an eye disease. Symptoms may include:

Vision loss
Burning or stinging eyes
Pupils of different sizes
One eye not moving like the other
One eye bulging or sticking out
Eye pain
Double vision
Redness and irritation
Light sensitivity
Bruising around the eye
Bleeding from the eye
Blood in the sclera
Discharge from the eye
New or severe headaches

If you’ve sustained an eye injury or are experiencing emergency symptoms, please call us immediately. Even a minor injury can cause long-term complications to your eyes.

Common Eye Emergencies

Chemical Exposure

A chemical eye injury occurs when the eye comes into contact with a chemical, whether solid, liquid, powder, or aerosol.

Chemical exposure can happen at home, work, the garden, or in agriculture. The most likely causes of chemical injury include:

Soaps
Disinfectants
Solvents
Cosmetics
Drain cleaners
Oven cleaners
Ammonia
Bleach
Pesticides
Fertilizers

Alkaline chemicals cause the most damage. These include ammonia, drain cleaners, and oven cleaners.

Chemical exposure to the eyes is an eye emergency. Damage can occur in as little as 1 to 5 minutes. If your eyes have come into contact with a chemical, rinse them immediately with cool, clean water for at least 15 minutes, and then call us for medical help.

Foreign Objects

Getting hair or dust in your eyes is common and rarely an emergency. But sometimes, even a small object can scratch the cornea, which can lead to an infection. Small objects can usually be removed by blinking or producing tears. But if you can’t remove the object this way, try flushing your eyes with saline solution or clean, cool water.

Larger foreign objects, like metal shards or pieces of glass, can penetrate the eye. These items require an eye care professional to remove. If you have an object embedded in your eye, do not attempt to remove it. Restrict your eye movement and call us immediately.

Sudden Loss of Vision

Vision loss is considered “sudden” if it occurs within minutes or a couple of days. Sudden vision loss should always be considered an emergency. If you experience any vision loss, even minor or temporary, call us immediately.

Causes of vision loss include:

Blockage of an artery of the retina or optic nerve
Blood in the vitreous humor (vitreous hemorrhage)
Traumatic eye injury
Acute angle-closure glaucoma
Retinal detachment
Anterior uveitis
Retinal infection
Age-related macular degeneration

Trauma

Trauma to the eye can occur when there’s a blunt force applied to the eye or face. Bruising (black eye) or swelling can develop. Even if your injury looks mild, there can be significant internal damage that puts your eye health at risk.

If you’ve sustained an injury to your face, call us immediately.

Preventing Eye Injuries

Whether you’re at home, work, or enjoying leisurely activities, you can prevent 90% of eye injuries simply by wearing appropriate safety eyewear (including sunglasses). Remaining aware of your surroundings, keeping your eyes and mind on your current task, and following all instructions and safety procedures will also help reduce your risk of eye injury.If you or a loved one requires emergency eye care, don’t take a chance with your eyesight, and please call us immediately. You can also reach out to us if you’re curious about protecting your eyes or what constitutes an emergency. Our compassionate staff is always available to help!

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