Emergency Eye Care | Solano EyeCare

Safety First

Eye emergencies can occur at any time. At Solano EyeCare, we aim to be there for our patients during an eye emergency.

Eye emergencies can range from eye infections to eye injuries and other serious issues. Along with our other vision care services, such as comprehensive eye exams, dry eye treatment, and myopia management, we provide emergency eye care for our patients.

Seeking Medical Attention

Eye emergencies range from surface injuries, chemical injuries, and infections to other conditions such as sudden flashes and floaters. Each type of emergency has varying symptoms.

Common eye emergency signs and symptoms can include:

Burning or stinging
Excessive eye pain
Loss of vision
Bleeding from the eye
New and severe headaches

Symptoms can vary, and if you’re experiencing an eye emergency, it’s essential to seek medical attention as soon as possible. We recognize that anything that affects your vision can be scary. Our team is equipped with the necessary tools and experience to manage eye emergencies.

Types of Eye Emergencies

Eye emergencies do not fall under a set category and can come in the form of various eye issues. Understanding some eye emergencies and how you should handle them in the moment before you visit us can help prevent further damage to your eyes.

Flashes & Floaters

Flashes can appear as flashing lights in your field of vision. Flashes may appear on and off over weeks or months. As you age, occasional flashes may become more regular, but the appearance of new random flashes should be checked by your eye doctor immediately.

Floaters appear as small lines or cobwebs in your field of vision, and while they seem to be in your central vision, they are floating around your eyes. Floaters are made of tiny clumps of gel or cells inside the white of your eyes.

Floaters are more likely to appear if you are nearsighted or have had inflammation inside your eyes.

Most flashes and floaters aren’t severe, but you should contact your eye doctor right away if:

A gray curtain covers part of your vision
You notice many new floaters
You have an increased amount of flashes
A shadow appears in your peripheral vision

These symptoms may also signal something severe like a retinal detachment and should be examined as soon as possible.

Chemical Eye Injuries

Chemical eye injuries can occur around the home from cleaning and household chores. Chemicals from cleaning products, garden chemicals, and industrial chemicals can be the main culprit and accidentally get in your eyes.

Managing chemical injuries carefully is essential to prevent potentially severe damage. If you get chemicals in your eyes, the following steps can help:

Wash your hands with soap and cool water thoroughly.
Turn your head so the affected eye is down and to the side.
Hold the affected eyelid open and flush it out with clean tap water for 15 minutes.

A serious chemical eye injury can cause severe damage—seeking medical attention as soon as possible is essential.

Small & Large Foreign Objects

Small foreign objects like sand and dust can routinely get in your eyes and cause some discomfort. There are some steps you can follow to help deal with the discomfort:

Avoid rubbing your eye and try blinking to clear up the obstruction.
Wash your hands and examine your eye to try to locate the object.
Use artificial tear eye drops to rinse out the object.
Flush the object out with cool water if it’s stuck on your eyelid.
Contact us for emergency eye care if the object cannot be removed, and irritation continues.

Large foreign objects can cause severe damage, and if something like glass or metal gets stuck in your eyes, leave it where it is and seek emergency medical attention.

If a large foreign object is stuck in your eyes, it’s essential not to touch the object, apply pressure, or attempt to remove it.

Cautious Approach to Eye Care

At Solano EyeCare, we prioritize our patients and take a cautious approach to vision care. If you experience an eye emergency, it’s essential to seek medical attention as soon as possible.