Emergency Eye Care | Modesto | Valley Optometric Group

Contact Us for Eye Emergencies

Eye emergencies can be an overwhelming experience, but we can help protect your sight with emergency eye care. Contact us immediately and our team will help assess and treat your eyes. If you’re unsure it’s an eye emergency, give us a call. Assessing your eye health after an accident it’s the best option for preserving your eye health and vision.

Contact Valley Optometric Group for emergency appointments.

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What Is an
Eye Emergency?

An eye emergency can be the result of an accident, sudden vision changes, or eye health issues. If you experience eye pain, discomfort, or injury, contact us immediately. Sudden vision loss in one or both eyes is also an eye emergency.

However, if you experience trauma or symptoms endangering your life, such as bleeding or injury to other body parts, visiting an emergency care center is the first priority.

What to Do During an Eye Emergency

After experiencing an eye emergency, immediately seek medical care. You can also apply first aid practices to reduce your risk of permanent damage. Call us or contact a medical care center for first aid instructions.

Eye Injuries

A scratch on the eyeball (corneal abrasion) can be irritating or painful. Eye injuries can damage eye function and lead to infection. If you experience an eye injury, contact us immediately for an emergency care appointment.

If you scratch your eye:

Do not rub your eye
Do not touch your eye
Do not wear your contact lens
Do not use over-the-counter or redness-reducing eye drops

You can blink. If the scratch was caused by small particles (dust or sand), blinking can help clean away the irritant. You can also use clean water to help flush the eye before seeking medical attention.

If you experience a blunt eye injury, such as a sports injury or bump on the eye, contact us to assess your eye health. Blunt injuries can cause inflammation or swelling, which can interfere with sight and eye function. It also increases the risk of retinal detachment.

Retinal Detachment

The retina is a crucial component of vision but it can be dislodged with enough force, such as a hard knock on the head. Your retina may also be more vulnerable because of eye disease or eye surgery. Retinal detachment can cause visual symptoms, including:

If you experience visual symptoms, contact emergency care immediately. Retinal reattachment surgery is effective in 9 out of 10 patients. Early detection increases the chances of success.

Foreign Body

A foreign body is an object that comes into contact with our eye, including stray eyelashes, dust, or nail clippings. If a foreign object gets stuck in your eye, do not rub your eye. The pressure can cause the object to scratch the eye surface.

Restrict eye movement and do not touch your eyes. Do not attempt to remove anything from your eye using tools, such as tweezers. Instead, flush the affected eye out with clean water. If you successfully clean away the object, you should still book an eye exam to assess any damage or remove smaller particles.

Chemical Irritation

Our eyes’ mucous membranes easily absorb moisture to support normal eye function, but it also means our eyes absorb chemicals easily. Exposure to chemicals can result in chemical eye burns, which can damage eye structures and increase the risk of developing eye conditions. Symptoms of chemical burns include:

Eye pain
Redness or irritation
Excessive tearing
Inability to keep eye open
Blurry vision
Eyelid swelling
Feeling something in the eye

Immediately rinse your eyes with clean water to flush away chemicals. Avoid rubbing your eye to prevent spreading the chemicals or irritants.

You may feel immediate relief from symptoms after rinsing, but don’t stop for at least 15 minutes to ensure the chemical is completely gone. Once you’ve rinsed the eye, contact us to examine your eye health and assess for any remaining chemicals.

Don’t Wait for Emergency Care

The earlier you receive treatment, the better the outcome for your vision and eye health. Don’t hesitate to call us if you’re concerned about increasing symptoms or changes to your vision. We’re here to support your eye health.

Regular eye exams can help us track changes to your eyes so we can prevent emergencies related to eye diseases or conditions. Book an appointment with Valley Optometric Group to protect your eye health.