Emergency Eye Care in Oshawa, ON

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 to never 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. 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.

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 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.