Your eyes are too important to ignore when something feels off. Like other aspects of our health, our eyes can also experience the onset of severe symptoms that require immediate attention.
Contacting your optometrist for emergency eye care can include:
- Sudden vision loss
- Eye trauma
- Severe eye pain
- New flashes and floaters
Leaving these emergencies unmanaged can lead to severe complications, like worsening symptoms or vision loss. Trust your instincts and seek expert care if you experience any of these signs.
Sudden Vision Loss
Sudden vision loss is exactly that, a rapid decrease or complete vision loss that comes on unexpectedly. This can mean losing vision in one or both eyes, seeing entirely black or blank spaces, or experiencing blurry or hazy vision that wasn’t present minutes or hours before.
A few symptoms can accompany sudden vision loss:
- Eye pain: Discomfort or a stabbing sensation might occur alongside the vision changes.
- Headache: A sharp or persistent headache could signal a more systemic issue affecting your eyes.
- Light sensitivity: Bright lights suddenly feel intolerable.
- Nausea: Sharp vision loss sometimes comes with feelings of nausea or dizziness.
Experiencing sudden vision loss can indicate a serious underlying condition and requires immediate attention from your optometrist. Potential concerns can include:
- Retinal detachment
- Stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA)
- Glaucoma attack
- Optic neuritis
- Blood vessel blockage in the retina
During this visit, your optometrist may decide to dilate your eyes to get a better look at the internal structures of your eyes using OCT scans, retinal images, and a slit lamp exam. This allows for early detection and timely interventions to prevent worsening symptoms.
Based on their findings, your optometrist may continue managing your care or refer you to an ophthalmologist for further evaluation.
Eye Trauma
Eye trauma refers to any physical damage to the eye caused by accidents, injuries, or impacts. Some examples include:
- Corneal scratches from contact lens wear
- Punctures from foreign objects
- Chemical burns
- Blunt force trauma, like being hit by a soccer ball.
The eye is very delicate, and even minor injuries can cause severe complications. Ignoring eye trauma can lead to several potential concerns, including:
- Infection
- Corneal abrasions or lacerations
- Detached retina
- Internal bleeding (hyphema)
Fractured orbital bones
Visiting your optometrist after any accident is necessary to promote healing and prevent irreversible damage.
One of the most effective ways to prevent eye injuries is by wearing safety goggles if you’re working in a high-risk environment like construction, industrial work, or even playing certain sports.
They act as a barrier against flying debris (i.e. metal scraps), chemicals, dust, or any other hazardous substances that may pose a threat to your eyes. Your eyes are invaluable, so prioritize their safety by wearing protective eyewear whenever necessary.
Severe Eye Pain
Severe eye pain feels far worse than mild discomfort or dry eye irritation. This pain might feel sharp, constant, or throbbing, and it doesn’t resolve on its own within a short period of time.
It’s considered an eye emergency because it’s associated with eye conditions or injuries that require prompt care, such as:
- Acute angle-closure glaucoma
- Corneal ulcers or infections
- Scleritis
- A foreign object stuck in the eye
Common symptoms that can accompany severe eye pain include:
- Redness: Enlarged blood vessels near the surface of the eye.
- Swelling: Puffiness indicating inflammation or infection.
- Blurry vision: Pain limits your ability to see clearly.
- Headache or nausea: Unrelenting discomfort that spreads beyond the eye itself.
Your optometrist may assess your vision and ocular health using tonometry testing and a dilation exam to further examine the internal structures of your eye to look for any abnormalities and signs of damage.
Based on the results, your optometrist will identify the underlying cause of severe pain and recommend appropriate treatment options, which may include medication, eye drops, or referral to a specialist if necessary.
Flashes & Floaters
“Flashes” are bursts of light or colors in your vision, while “floaters” appear as specks, lines, or dark shapes moving across your field of view.
Seeing new flashes and floaters in your vision can be concerning, but it’s not always considered an eye emergency. In most cases, harmless irregularities in the vitreous humor, the gel-like material inside the eye, cause flashes and floaters.
However, if new flashes or floaters appear suddenly and are accompanied by these symptoms, it’s a sign that the issue might be more serious than you think:
- A curtain-like shadow across your vision
- Sudden increase in the number or size of floaters
- Blurred vision or vision loss
The sudden onset of these symptoms might indicate retinal detachment, a condition where the retina pulls away from its normal position.
Retinal detachment is a medical emergency and could lead to permanent blindness if left untreated, which is why seeking immediate care is vital.
Similar to other eye emergencies, your optometrist will likely dilate your eyes to look for signs of retinal detachments or tears, and immediately refer you to an ophthalmologist to treat this condition.
Does Sask Health Care Cover Emergency Eye Care?
Eye emergencies are sudden, sometimes painful, and can lead to vision loss and serious long-term complications if left unmanaged.
Fortunately, our province recognizes this importance, and is why emergency eye care visits to your optometrist are covered by Saskatchewan Health. This coverage verifies that you can receive the urgent attention you need without incurring financial costs during times of eye emergencies while safeguarding your vision and ocular health.
However, not all sudden eye conditions are guaranteed to be covered. For instance, persistent irritation caused by unmanaged dry eye may not necessarily be covered by our provincial health care whereas a scrap of metal lodged in an eye will.
If you’re unsure, don’t hesitate to ask our team to clarify any coverage questions.
Protect Your Vision
Our eyes are too important to overlook when something feels wrong. Waiting too long to seek immediate care can lead to long-term complications.
Connect with our team at Advance Eye Care Centre for any questions concerning emergency eye care. If you cannot reach our team, please go directly to your nearest emergency room.
