Emergency Eye Care
Trusted Care to Help You Through an Eye Emergency
Accidents happen, and injuries to the eyes can be frightening. During stressful situations, it’s not always clear what to do or where to seek care. At Annik Eye Care in Cloverdale, Surrey, we provide emergency eye care to address sudden injuries and protect your long-term vision and eye health.
Even seemingly minor eye injuries can have lasting consequences, so it’s important to consult a professional as soon as possible. If you experience trauma to one or both eyes accompanied by sudden vision loss, swelling, or bleeding, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911 immediately. For less severe injuries or urgent concerns, contact our clinic to receive prompt and professional care.
Common Eye Injuries
Eye injuries can occur during regular daily activities, like while playing sports, or at work. The following injuries require immediate medical attention.
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Burns can occur from contact with harmful chemicals (either household or industrial), hot steam or water, exposure to the sun or tanning beds, or household appliances, like a curling or straightening iron. They can also occur from flames or explosions.
If you’ve sustained chemical burns, either from acids (bleach or battery acid) or alkalis (like oven cleaner or fertilizer), flush your eyes immediately with cool, clean water for at least 15 minutes. Then seek medical attention.
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Direct blows, also known as blunt trauma, can lead to significant damage to the eyelid, eyeball, or eye socket. They can often result in bruising around the eye (black eye) or cuts and tears to the eyelid. Sometimes, the seriousness of the injury can be missed, so it’s crucial to seek medical attention even if the eye looks fine.
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Small foreign objects often enter the eye, like eyelashes and hair, makeup, dirt, or sand, but they can usually be removed by flushing your eyes with cool, clean water, artificial tears, or blinking. However, sometimes they can become stuck or scratch the cornea.
Although corneal scratches often heal on their own, you should still seek medical attention to avoid the risk of infection or other complications. If you can’t locate the object and the irritation continues, call our office.
Larger or sharp foreign objects, like glass or metal, can cause serious injury and require immediate medical attention. Objects like this can possibly puncture the eye, causing damage to the ocular structures.
If you have something embedded in your eye, never touch it, apply pressure, or attempt to remove it yourself. Call us immediately.
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If you’ve experienced an injury to your eye or its surrounding area, watch for vision changes or signs and symptoms of infection.
Painful sensitivity to light may result from an injury or be a sign of eye disease.
Signs and Symptoms of Infection
Blurred or impaired vision
Pain in the eye
A feeling like something foreign is in the eye
Sensitivity to light
Redness in the eye or eyelid
Swelling in and around the eye
Discharge from the eye
Fever
Flashes and Floaters
Signs of retinal tears or detachments include:
A sudden onset of flashes of light, like streaks, sparks, or flickers when you move your head or eyes.
A sudden onset of floaters or shadows floating in your vision.
Partial or complete vision loss in one or both eyes.
If you have experienced a traumatic eye injury and require medical assistance, call our office as soon as possible. If our office is closed or you need immediate help, call 911 or visit your closest emergency room.
Preventing Eye Injuries
While accidents can happen unexpectedly, you can reduce your risk of eye injuries by wearing appropriate protective eyewear for work, sports, and recreational activities.
In addition to wearing protective gear, simple environmental precautions—such as keeping workspaces clean, using proper lighting, and minimizing exposure to hazards—can help safeguard your eyes from potential injury. Combining personal protective equipment with a safe environment is key to maintaining long-term eye health and vision.
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We feel comfortable and safe at home, so it can be easy to overlook safety concerns when completing that simple or quick chore in the yard or house. But injuries at home do happen, and 90% of them are preventable. To protect your eyes at home, the Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends:
Wearing eye protection while doing yard work, cleaning, or home improvement. Safety eyewear can protect you from flying debris, wayward material, or chemical splashes.
Reading and following manufacturer’s instructions or user manuals when handling products like children’s toys, fertilizers, chemicals, or power tools.
Removing debris and other hazards from workspaces. For example, remove stones, sticks, or other objects from the lawn before mowing.
Always turning off tools when bystanders are near, especially children.
Storing chemicals, products, and glues in a safe location away from children.
Washing hands before and after completing chores, and never touching your face or eyes before doing so.
If you’ve sustained chemical burns, either from acids (bleach or battery acid) or alkalis (like oven cleaner or fertilizer), flush your eyes immediately with cool, clean water for at least 15 minutes. Then seek medical attention.
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Employers have a legal responsibility to ensure all precautions are taken to protect workers from injury, or to let workers or supervisors know of any hazards and how to handle them. They are also responsible for providing employees with personal protective equipment (PPE), like safety eyewear.
Employees are also responsible for their own safety while on the job. OHS Canada recommends that workers:
Always wear the provided PPE for the required task and never remove it while performing the task.
Match the protection to the job. For instance, don’t rely on glasses while welding when a face shield would offer more protection.
Make sure all PPE fits properly.
Inspect all PPE for damage or wear that would compromise its integrity.
Always keep extra PPE on hand.
If you’re looking for safety or specialty eyewear for work, home, or play, our experienced opticians can help! Call us or book your appointment today to see what we can offer you.