When Eye Emergency Care Is a Must

Your eyes may be a window to the world, but they also deal with a lot of obstacles that can hinder your vision. Dry weather, allergies, sand, dirt, eyestrain, and environmental irritants can cause blurred vision, itchiness, watery eyes, redness, swelling, pain, and dryness. 

Many acute medical issues also cause problems with your sight.

More severe injuries and illnesses often result in eye emergencies, which require immediate attention to treat and to preserve your vision.  But what constitutes an emergency for your eyes? 

Board-certified ophthalmologist and eye surgeon Sunil Thadani, MD, and our medical staff at Maryland Vision Center serve the Frederick, Maryland, community by helping with a range of eye problems, including emergency treatments.

To help you know what issues need medical help quickly, we examine what an eye emergency is, the common causes, and when you need to get to a doctor.

What is an eye emergency?

Anything that prevents you from seeing properly is a problem, but the following situations require immediate help:

• Vision loss
• Burning sensation
• Eye pain
• Eye bruising
• Bulging (get help immediately)
• Light sensitivity 
• Eye discharge
• Different sized pupils

Sudden issues with any of these, especially if accompanied by bleeding, require medical attention as soon as possible.

What causes them?

Among the incidents and conditions that cause eye emergencies are:

Injuries

Falls, car accidents, and physical altercations are just some ways eyes can become bruised or swollen, and can lead to bleeding and other problems.

Pink or red eye

Also known as conjunctivitis, this bacterial or viral infection is contagious, and allergic reactions (often during certain seasons) are a common problem that requires medical help to manage. 

Chemical spills

Any environment with dangerous chemicals and no proper eyewear can lead to accidents that could burn your eyes or even blind you.

Foreign objects

Small objects that get in the eyes can lead to lacerations and punctures, and you’ll need help treating them properly.

Where should you get help?

We handle eye emergencies when the symptoms do not require a trip to the emergency room. When you contact us to explain the problem, we can immediately assess whether a trip to the hospital is necessary. This includes severe problems from bruising, chemical spills, lacerations, and punctures. 

Still, we need to examine the situation to assess long-term care and restore and preserve your sight, whether you needed an emergency room visit or not. 

Eye emergencies need proper care, and we’re dedicated to helping you keep your sight for as long as possible. Contact us at one of our Frederick, Maryland, offices as soon as possible so we can address your urgent needs.