Emergency Eye Care Services
We offer emergency eye health services for conditions that require immediate and urgent eye care. Use your best judgment. If you feel your vision issue is urgent, do not delay treatment – visit your nearest emergency treatment center.
Please contact us at 905-830-1910 or 905-780-0250 for further instructions
Types of Eye Emergencies
An eye emergency is defined as an issue that has the potential of causing vision loss or something that has a recent onset. Conjunctivitis, corneal abrasions, and foreign objects impacting the eye, sudden vision loss, retinal detachment, and many more issues are considered emergencies.
Our optometrist available for same day appointments for emergency calls.
Eye Trauma
Our eyes are extremely fragile organs surrounded by protective bone. However, a full quarter of your eye is exposed, and even minor injuries to that portion can have permanent consequences. In the case of chemical exposure or foreign object impacts, you should immediately call our office for an emergency appointment after applying appropriate first aid.
If a foreign object has become lodged in, or punctured the eye and is still present in the eye, DO NOT PULL IT OUT. Carefully wrap around the object and stabilize it as much as possible without putting pressure on the eye. Cover both eyes with an opaque cloth. Keep looking directly ahead if possible, and do not look around. Call 9-1-1 immediately as this is a medical emergency that may require immediate surgery.
Sudden Loss Of Vision
As one of the five senses, sight is arguably one of the most important. Therefore, any sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes should be treated with urgency by a professional. Sudden loss of vision may occur from such issues as severe migraines to a stroke inside your eye.
The only way to know the difference is to have an optometrist investigate immediately. If the issue is serious enough, referral to a specialist for treatment will be handled by our staff to ensure rapid and effective service is delivered.
Other Types Of Eye Emergencies
Heavy impact to the eyes or ocular bone structure around your eye, such as experienced by boxers or athletes in sports requiring helmets, can cause serious issues, such as pressure buildup inside the eye, and retinal bruising.
As well, a hard enough impact may cause your retina to detach. If you have experienced a sudden impact on your eyes or ocular bone regions and begin to experience changes in your vision.
Cuts to your eyes that do not puncture the eye are also considered as emergencies, as injury can very easily enter through the cut and work its way into more vital regions. If you are not sure if your eye has been cut, it is prudent to still book an emergency appointment to make sure.
Eye Injury Prevention
Wearing appropriate eye protection for whatever activity you are performing is the first and best step to preventing eye injury. Something as simple as wearing safety goggles when performing yard work can prevent an injury.
Many of the corneal abrasions or eye impacts our optometrist see are the result of objects kicked up by lawn mowers, or accidentally impacting a branch or twig when working around trees.
If your workplace mandates eye protection, it is for your own safety and should be worn at all
Symptoms that require emergency service include, but are not limited to:
- Sudden loss of vision
- Sudden double vision
- Sudden red/painful eye
- Pink Eye
- New onset flashes and/or floaters
- Foreign body in the eye (especially metal or chemicals)
- New or worsening swelling or pain after eye surgery
Things NOT to do while waiting for professional medical assistance:
- DO NOT press on an injured eye or allow the victim to rub the eye(s).
- DO NOT attempt to remove a foreign body that is resting on the cornea (the clear surface of the eye through which we see) or that appears to be embedded in any part of the eye.
- DO NOT use dry cotton (including cotton swabs) or sharp instruments (such as tweezers) on the eye.
- DO NOT attempt to remove an embedded object.
Please call our office for further assistance 905-830-1910 or 905-780-0250.