When do you need Sugar Land emergency care for your eyes? There are a surprising number of reasons why you might need to visit the ER for eye symptoms. If you’re having an eye emergency, visit the emergency room right away to help reduce the risk of complications.
Get Sugar Land Emergency Care for Eye Emergencies
When eye emergencies occur, you may need Sugar Land emergency care from an ER physician. However, it’s important to know what an eye emergency is and what to do for eye emergencies versus urgent eye conditions.
What is an Eye Emergency?
An eye emergency is any situation where your eyesight or life could be at risk. Sudden or severe eye symptoms may need Sugar Land emergency care. For example, if your symptoms are sudden or severe, then they could be a sign of an eye emergency.
Should You Call Your Eye Doctor or Head to your Sugar Land Emergency Room?
So, do you need Sugar Land emergency care or help from your eye doctor for your eye symptoms? If your situation fits the definition of an eye emergency, then it’s time to visit the ER. For most other things, you can typically schedule an urgent appointment with your eye doctor when they open for office hours. Some eye doctors even offer an after-hours phone number to talk about your symptoms. However, if you’re ever in doubt, it’s generally better to be safe than sorry and get immediate medical attention.
Common Eye Emergencies & What to Do
Any time you think your sight or life is at risk, get immediate medical attention. Here are some of the more common eye emergencies and some steps to take for each:
Eye Injuries
Trauma to the eye, like blunt force, cuts, burns, and punctures can all threaten your sight. For mild pain and swelling from a minor injury, you can typically use a cold compress and look out for any other symptoms. However, if you’ve had a major injury like a puncture, or if you notice symptoms like redness, swelling, light sensitivity, double vision, and severe pain, visit the ER for help.
For heat burns to the eye, you can flush with cool, clean water for 15-20 minutes. Keep your eye open to help get rid of the heat. If you have a cut or scratch on the eye, keep it closed, but don’t bandage it. For punctures, keep the object in the eye, as it might be stopping bleeding. Don’t apply pressure, flush the eye, rub the eye, or take medications like ibuprofen that increase bleeding. Use a paper or plastic cup to shield your eye and get emergency eye care.
Sugar Land Emergency Care for Eye Chemical Burns & Objects Stuck in Eye
If you have chemicals in your eye, like from cleaning solutions, drain cleaners, or other chemicals, flush your eye for about 15 minutes and seek Sugar Land emergency care. If you have contact lenses in and they did not come out after flushing the eyes, try to remove them. Don’t bandage your eye for chemical eye injuries.
If there’s something stuck in your eye, don’t try to remove it and don’t rub your eyes! Whether large or small, you can cause more damage. For smaller things like sand, you can try blinking to help your natural tears flush it out, or you can try irrigating your eye with saline solution or artificial tears. For large objects or objects that won’t come out, get emergency medical help immediately.
When you need emergency medical attention for objects in your eye, keep the eye closed and try not to move your eyes too much. Also, you can create a shield for the eye out of the bottom of a disposable paper or plastic cup.
Sudden, Severe Vision Changes
Sudden and severe vision changes can be symptoms of eye emergencies or other health conditions. It can take the form of sudden loss of vision, sudden blurry vision, or even flashing or floating lights or spots. This could be a sign of a Sugar Land emergency. Everything from neurological conditions like strokes to detached retinas and more can cause sudden vision changes. So, get immediate medical care if you notice sudden, unexplained vision changes.
Eye Emergency Prevention
No one wants to end up at their Sugar Land emergency room, no matter how quick the care is or how comfortable the patient rooms are. So, here are some tips that may help reduce your risk of eye emergencies:
- Schedule annual eye exams
- Use eye protection when working with power tools
- Be careful when cooking with grease and other things that “pop” up
- Handle chemicals carefully
- Keep sharp objects out of the reach of children
Quick, Quality Sugar Land Emergency Care at St. Michael’s Elite Hospital
When you need prompt, high quality medical care, choose our team at St. Michael’s Elite Hospital. We’re a freestanding emergency room with short wait times, comfortable private exam rooms, and the same physicians and equipment you’d find at a traditional hospital-attached ER. Give us a call to talk about your symptoms or let us know you’re on your way at (281) 980-4357.
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