Conditions & Disease
An eye emergency belongs in an eye doctor's chair. If you experience loss of vision, double vision, swelling, infection, or any other eye emergency, contact us immediately for guidance — and if the situation is urgent, proceed to the nearest emergency room.
Anyone with a sudden change in vision, eye pain, injury, or a red eye that isn't improving.
Not sure whether this is what you need? Call the office nearest you — we'll help you figure it out. Please don't share personal health details by email or web form.
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Most emergency departments do not have a slit lamp, and few can remove a metal foreign body or measure eye pressure properly. An optometrist's office is usually the faster and less expensive place for a scratched cornea, something stuck in the eye, sudden redness with pain, or a chemical splash after flushing. Call the office nearest you and say it is urgent.
Sudden loss of vision, a curtain or shadow in your side vision, a new burst of floaters or flashing lights, eye pain with light sensitivity, double vision that appears out of nowhere, or an eye injury from a tool, ball, or chemical. Any of these means calling us immediately. Retinal detachments in particular are far more treatable in the first hours than in the first week.
Do not rub the eye. If a chemical splashed in, flush with clean water for fifteen minutes before you leave. Leave contact lenses out. If something is embedded in the eye, do not try to remove it yourself — cover the eye loosely and call. Bring your glasses and a list of your medications.
A red eye that comes with pain, light sensitivity, or reduced vision is urgent. Call the office nearest you rather than waiting it out, and go to the nearest emergency room if the situation is urgent.
Related care
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Monday–Friday, 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Saturday & Sunday closed. Call the office nearest you or request an appointment online.
