When Emergencies Happen, We Can Help
Emergencies happen, and when they do, it can be scary and overwhelming. If you or your child is experiencing an eye emergency, it could be difficult to know what to do or who to call. We’re here for you always, so if you or a loved one has sustained an eye injury, call us immediately or visit our office.
If we’re not open and your injury can’t wait, visit the nearest emergency room or call 9-1-1.
Eye Emergency Symptoms
You may be experiencing an eye emergency if you have symptoms like:
- Blurred or double vision
- Pain or swelling around the eye
- A deep ache around the eye or brow
- Light sensitivity
- Redness
- Excessive tearing
- Headache
- Bruising (like a black eye) or bleeding
- Discoloured discharge from the eye
- Headache after an eye injury
Eye emergencies can range from mild to serious and can happen at work, at home, or on vacation.
When to Call Us
While some injuries are relatively minor and easily treated at home, you should always contact a medical professional for advice. Even injuries that seem insignificant can lead to serious complications. We can diagnose and treat many common eye injuries and help you learn how to protect your eyes.
Some emergencies may not be caused by an external force to the eye. Diseases like closed-angle glaucoma and wet AMD can cause sudden eye pain, flashes and floaters, and vision loss. Be sure to contact us or visit an emergency room if you start to experience any of these symptoms, even if you haven’t had a physical injury to the eye.
Chemical burns occur when harmful chemicals like household cleaners or industrial chemicals enter your eyes.
- Acid burns, like those from bleach or vinegar, can cause pain and redness but can be easily treated by thoroughly rinsing your eye with cool, clean water.
- Alkali burns, on the other hand, like those from drain or oven cleaner, are more serious. Alkali quickly attacks the eye’s tissue and can lead to permanent vision loss or blindness.
If you have sustained a chemical burn, immediately flush your eyes with cool water for at least 15 minutes and then call us.
Small foreign objects, like dirt, hair, or sand, often get in the eyes. These objects can cause irritation but can usually be removed easily by flushing your eyes with cool, clean water, blinking, or artificial tears.
It’s important to remember never to rub your eyes if something gets in them, even if the object is small. This can scratch your cornea and lead to infection.
However, large or sharp foreign objects, like metal or glass, can cause serious injury to your eyes and require medical professionals to remove them. If you have something large stuck in your eye(s), do not try to remove it yourself and don’t apply pressure. Come see us immediately.
While small scratches on the eye will likely heal on their own, they still require medical attention. Scratches on the cornea can become infected, leading to complications and putting your vision at risk.
If you have sustained a cut or scratch to your eye, don’t rub your eye. Come see us as soon as possible.
Flashes or floaters in the eye can occur due to migraines, or they could be the result of an eye condition that needs to be examined. Flashes of light can point to a disturbance to the retina, and floaters could be due to eye injury.
How to Protect Your Eyes from Injury
Eye emergencies can range from mild to serious and can happen at work, at home, or on vacation. In many instances, they happen suddenly, and you may not even realize right away that your eye is injured.
Accidents and injuries can happen to anyone of any age and at any time. However, you can reduce your risk by following some simple safety procedures at home and at work.
Many of us don’t think about the possibility of an eye injury while tinkering around the house, but 25% of eye injuries happen in the home. You can protect your eyes by:
- Wearing protective eyewear while using power tools or while playing extreme sports.
- Carefully following safety instructions on cleaners, fertilizers, or other household chemicals.
- Using caution when cooking with oil or grease.
- Supervising children when they’re playing with toys or using tools.
- Keeping sharp objects away from small children.
If you work in dusty, dirty, hazardous environments or around industrial chemicals, you will need to follow safety protocols to protect your eyes and vision. If you aren’t sure what safety protocols are in place, please speak to your manager. You can help reduce risk in the workplace by:
- Using protective screens or grids to protect your eyes from flying particles
- Standing behind safety glass or guards on machines to protect yourself from splashing chemicals or flying chips
- Enclosing sources of dust, particles, mist, or fibres
- Using ventilation systems to control dust and fumes
- Isolating hazardous operations
- Wearing personal protective equipment like safety eyewear
If you have sustained an eye injury or are experiencing an eye emergency, visit us or call our office as soon as possible. In cases when we’re not open, or you need immediate attention, visit the emergency room or call 9-1-1.
Emergency Care When You Need It
An eye emergency can happen at any moment, and we want to be here for you. If you experience an eye injury, please contact our team as soon as possible or visit your nearest emergency room.
Where to Find Us
You can find us at the intersection of Simcoe Street and Conlin Road. There’s plenty of parking available outside the clinic.
Our Address
- 2069 Simcoe Street North
- Oshawa, ON L1G 0C9
Contact Information
- Phone: (905) 723-2721
- Email: [email protected]
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Our Address
- 2069 Simcoe Street North
- Oshawa, ON L1G 0C9
- Phone: (905) 723-2721
- Email: [email protected]
