Emergency Eye Care: Recognizing the Signs and Getting Immediate Help

Typically, people only see an optometrist once a year or every two years. However, several instances require emergency eye care. Emergency eye care goes beyond a routine inspection, though the latter can help prevent many symptoms from manifesting. Here are eight signs that warrant an impromptu trip to the optometrist.

8 Signs that warrant emergency eye care from an optometrist

1. Burning or itching

Burning or itching can result from many factors. Sudden cases of these symptoms are often due to an irritant of some sort, such as perfume or cologne, air fresheners, new laundry detergent, skin products, etc. Typically, patients can flush their eyes with water, and no more action is necessary. However, if the symptoms continue or occur suddenly with seemingly no cause, the issue warrants an emergency eye care visit. They may be a result of allergies, infection, or microscopic injury.

2. Double vision

Double vision, or diplopia, is one of the most serious signs that warrants emergency eye care. It refers to seeing two of the same object when only one is physically present. When patients experience it, they should contact the optometrist, as it is not normal and is always a sign of a deeper issue. The condition can signal issues in the brain, eyes, or the eye nerves. Common causes include cataracts, severe astigmatism, nerve damage, diabetes, or head trauma.

3. Dry eyes

Dry eye affects the tear film, three layers of tears covering the eyes' surface. According to the Dry Eye Directory, 16.7 million to 50.2 million Americans had dry eyes in 2023 alone. The condition is not always a cause for alarm, as it may be situational, such as riding a roller coaster or moving throughout a dry area. However, prolonged bouts can signify other causes, such as allergies, thyroid eye disease, diabetes, or Sjögren’s syndrome.

4. Eye discharge

Eye discharge is normal, but only in the form of tears, old skin cells, mucus, and environmental debris. However, if the discharge occurs suddenly, is prolonged, has an odor, or produces a brown, red, or yellow color, it is time to contact an optometrist for emergency eye care. Discharge can result from an eye infection or a problem with the tear ducts.

5. Eye redness

Redness in the eyes is usually not a cause for alarm, as several factors can cause it, such as allergies, irritant exposure, or simply becoming tired. However, emergency eye care is necessary if the redness is prolonged or accompanied by blurred vision, eye pain, swelling, or discharge. It can result from infection, trauma, microscopic injury, or inflammation.

6. Eye pain or swelling

Eye pain or swelling is not normal unless there is trauma to the eye or face. If an incident occurs, even if there is seemingly no effect on the eye besides tenderness, schedule a consultation with the optometrist. Some damage takes days or even weeks to manifest. Alternatively, emergency eye care may be necessary if pain or swelling occurs over time, seemingly with no root cause. It may result from an infection, injury, damage to the eye nerves, or a build-up of pressure in the eye.

7. Sudden or severe headaches

The majority of the population will experience the common, or tension, headache at least once a year, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. However, there are several types of headaches, and they all range in severity from mild to severe. Aside from tension headaches, there are migraines, cluster headaches, and new-daily persistent headaches.

Each type of headache has various forms, many of which can result from a problem with the eyes. Therefore, if a headache begins to occur intermittently or becomes severe to the point of being debilitating or the patient is sensitive to light, we recommend scheduling an emergency eye care visit.

8. Vision loss

Vision loss is not normal, and all cases warrant emergency eye care. Vision loss does not have to mean total blindness. It can manifest as one eye losing vision or peripheral (side) vision becoming limited. Note that if a patient is involved in an emergency situation like a car accident or receives a blow to the head or face, which results in vision loss, even for a moment, they should contact emergency medical services before alerting our office. In these incidents, the optometrist can work to provide a treatment plan after the initial threat is taken care of. However, if vision loss is occurring intermittently without a result of trauma, schedule a visit as soon as possible.

Do not ignore the signs

These signs all warrant an impromptu trip to Texas Optical. If you or a loved one are experiencing the aforementioned signs, do not hesitate to call our office. We proudly provide emergency eye care for residents in and around the Dallas area.

Request an appointment here: https://www.texasoptical.net or call Texas Optical at (214) 771-7333 for an appointment in our Dallas office.

Check out what others are saying about our services on Yelp: Read our Yelp reviews.