Recognizing and Responding to Common Eye Emergencies: A Complete Guide

By : Dr. Harina Thyriar, Optometrist
Posted : Octobre 24, 2024

What is an Eye Emergency?

An eye emergency is any condition where your eyesight is at immediate risk. This can include trauma, infections, or sudden vision changes. When untreated, these emergencies can lead to permanent vision loss, so immediate attention from an optometrist or eye care specialist is necessary.

Types of Eye Emergencies

• Floaters and Flashes Description: Floaters are small spots or strings that drift through your field of vision, while flashes are brief bursts of light that may occur intermittently. These symptoms can indicate a serious problem, such as retinal detachment or vitreous detachment. Symptoms: Sudden appearance of floaters, flashes of light, or a shadow or curtain moving across part of your visual field. Action: If you experience sudden floaters or flashes, seek immediate emergency care to rule out retinal detachment or other serious conditions.
  We recommend reading "Floaters and Flashes: What Do They Mean for Your Eye Health?" to understand their causes and when to seek professional care.
• Sudden Vision Loss Description: A sudden or temporary loss of vision in one or both eyes, which can be a sign of a serious condition like retinal detachment or a stroke. Symptoms: Complete or partial loss of vision, flashing lights, or floating spots. Action: Seek immediate emergency care from an eye specialist.
• Foreign Objects in the Eye Description: Objects like dust, dirt, wood, or metal particles that enter the eye. Symptoms: Sharp pain, irritation, redness, excessive tearing, or a feeling of something stuck in the eye. Action: Avoid rubbing the eye and seek professional help to remove the object.
  We recommend reading "Foreign Object in the Eye? Here’s What to Do" for essential first aid steps and professional advice on managing such incidents.
• Chemical Eye Burns Description: Caused by exposure to harmful chemicals such as cleaning products, industrial solvents, or fumes. Symptoms: Intense pain, redness, tearing, swelling, and blurred vision. Action: Rinse immediately with water for at least 15 minutes and seek emergency medical care.
• Corneal Abrasions Description: A scratch or scrape on the cornea, often caused by foreign objects, fingernails, or contact lenses. Symptoms: Pain, tearing, redness, sensitivity to light, and a gritty feeling in the eye. Action: Seek prompt treatment from an eye doctor to prevent infection or further damage.
• Retinal Detachment Description: Occurs when the retina pulls away from the back of the eye, which can lead to permanent vision loss if not treated quickly. Symptoms: Sudden flashes of light, floating spots, shadows in vision, or a curtain-like effect over part of the vision. Action: This is a medical emergency—immediate surgical treatment may be required.
• Eye Infections (Severe) Description: Serious infections such as bacterial keratitis or fungal infections in the cornea. Symptoms: Redness, swelling, pain, discharge, and impaired vision. Action: Immediate medical care is needed to treat the infection and prevent vision loss.
• Blunt Trauma to the Eye Description: Direct impact to the eye from a blunt object, such as a ball, fist, or car accident. Symptoms: Swelling, bruising (black eye), bleeding, and possible vision loss. Action: Apply a cold compress without pressure and seek immediate medical care.
• Penetrating Eye Injury Description: When a sharp object, such as glass, metal, or a tool, pierces the eye. Symptoms: Severe pain, visible cuts, bleeding, or a foreign object embedded in the eye. Action: Do not attempt to remove the object; seek emergency eye care immediately.
• Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma Description: A sudden increase in eye pressure that can damage the optic nerve and lead to blindness if untreated. Symptoms: Severe eye pain, headache, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision, and seeing halos around lights. Action: Seek emergency care as immediate treatment is necessary to relieve the pressure.
• Orbital Cellulitis Description: A severe infection of the tissues around the eye, usually caused by a bacterial infection from a sinus infection. Symptoms: Redness, swelling, fever, pain when moving the eye, and vision problems. Action: Requires emergency medical treatment to prevent the spread of infection.
• Hyphema (Blood in the Eye) Description: Accumulation of blood in the front of the eye, usually caused by trauma. Symptoms: Blood visible in the front of the eye, blurred vision, and sensitivity to light. Action: Requires immediate medical attention to prevent increased eye pressure or further damage.
• Uveitis Description: Inflammation of the uvea (middle layer of the eye) that can be caused by infections, autoimmune diseases, or trauma. Symptoms: Eye pain, redness, light sensitivity, and blurry vision. Action: Prompt treatment is needed to prevent complications such as cataracts or glaucoma.
• Chemical Explosions and Flash Burns Description: Burns caused by exposure to intense light or heat sources, such as welding arcs, fireworks, or lasers. Symptoms: Severe pain, watering, redness, and a gritty feeling. Action: Seek emergency care if you experience severe symptoms following exposure to bright light or flames.
• Subconjunctival Hemorrhage Description: Bleeding under the conjunctiva (clear membrane covering the white of the eye), usually caused by trauma or straining. Symptoms: A bright red patch on the white of the eye, typically painless but alarming in appearance. Action: While not usually serious, it's important to have this assessed to rule out underlying trauma.
• Optic Neuritis Description: Inflammation of the optic nerve, often associated with conditions like multiple sclerosis. Symptoms: Sudden vision loss, pain with eye movement, and color vision changes. Action: Seek immediate care from an eye specialist, as it may indicate a neurological issue.