Dealing with Eye Related Emergencies

• Karuna Sharma
• 8 years ago
• Categories: Eye Care
• Tags: eye doctor, optemetrist

Emergencies are always a cause for concern, but when it comes to the eyes, there’s a greater sense of urgency. These can include cuts, scratches, foreign objects, allergies, chemical exposure, and blunt force injuries to the eye or eyelid. Eye infections and other conditions, such as blood clots or glaucoma, can also fall under eye emergencies. Either way, you’ll need to act fast and seek medical attention right away.

Alderwood Optical and Canyon Park Vision Clinic, home to your eye care specialists near Bothell, WA explains what you need to know about dealing with eye emergencies:

Symptoms

This usually depends on the type of injury and its cause. One or more of the following symptoms may be present:

• Bleeding or other discharge from or around the eye
• Bruises, cuts and the ‘black’ eye
• Instantly decreased or double vision
• Eye pain, usually accompanied by headaches
• Sudden onset of inflamed and itchy eyes
• Total or partial loss of vision in one or both eyes
• Pupils of unequal size
• Redness – bloodshot appearance
• Acute light sensitivity
• Stinging or burning sensation in the eye
• One eye is not moving like the other
• One eye is bulging out

First Aid

Prompt action and appropriate treatment are the best ways to deal with eye injuries. That in mind, there are some instances where administering first aid can suffice to bring relief to the patient, until you can get medical help. Remember to wash your hands with soap and water, and examine the affected eye in a well-lighted area. When providing first aid care, take note of the following:

• Don’t press or rub the injured eye.

• If the person is wearing contact lenses, don’t remove them unless rapid swelling is occurring, or there is a severe chemical injury and the contacts did not come out after flushing the eye with water.

• Do not attempt to remove a foreign object that appears to be stuck in any part of the eye. Bring the patient to our eye doctors in Bothell, WA right away. We will put anesthetic eye drops in the eye first in order to numb it and prevent any pain.

• Do not use cotton swabs, tweezers or any other thing on the eye. It is a very sensitive organ and even the slightest slipup can worsen the condition.

In addition to treating eye emergencies, the eye doctors at Alderwood Optical and Canyon Park Vision Clinic can help you with a wide range of services, such as eye exams, eyewear and contact lenses, dry eye treatments and many more. These services cover all age groups. Give us a call at 425-771-8472 or 425-485-0430 to schedule an appointment today.