How to Know if You Need Emergency Eye Care

As an eye doctor clinic, we have vast experience in dealing with any emergency eye care needs. If you think you are experiencing symptoms that may indicate you need eye care, visit our office immediately. Many people are unsure of how to tell when an eye problem needs serious attention, but the best way to stay ahead of the need for emergency eye care is by visiting your eye doctor regularly. In some cases, however, there may be obvious indications that emergency eye care is needed.

You should have your eyes examined by a professional regularly; we suggest patients visit every one to three years. However, the American Optometric Association recommends that adults over age 61 should visit an eye doctor annually, regardless of whether or not they currently wear lenses or have other risk factors. The purpose of these examinations is to detect any changes to your vision and discover any potential eye conditions that could be currently developing. Early detection is key to limiting the effects of an eye disease or condition that may worsen gradually. 

In some cases, even with proper annual eye examinations, eye emergencies can occur. Some indications that you need emergency eye care may present themselves with these symptoms:

• Sudden blurred or double vision
• Distorted vision
• Black spotting in vision or dark spots in the center of vision
• Flashes of light that are not actually occurring
• Halos around light
• Sudden disappearance of vision in one or both eyes or curtain-like vision loss
• Loss of peripheral vision
• Eye injury or pain
• Redness or discharge around one or both eyes

These symptoms often indicate a bigger problem is at hand. Some issues that could occur with the symptoms listed above are:

• Retina detachment from the underlying layer of blood vessels
• Glaucoma and/or permanent damage to the eye's optic nerve
• Macular holes or degeneration

If these eye conditions are not treated immediately with emergency eye care, you could face permanent vision loss. The symptoms listed above could also be indicators of bigger health issues like stroke or heart disease. It is imperative to your health that you seek out emergency eye care immediately if you are experiencing any of the stated indicators or other abnormal vision problems. 

Some symptoms that indicate you need to have your vision checked for changes that may not necessarily be emergencies include:

• Problems focusing on close or distant objects
• Difficulty adjusting to changes in light
• Headaches or squinting related to light or eyesight
• Excessive itching or watering eyes
• Eye strain

These are typically just signs you may need to wear corrective lenses, and they are common with age.

Don’t put your eye health on the back burner, because it can affect all aspects of your life, and the lack of treatment could lead to permanent eye damage or blindness. If you have more questions regarding how to know if you need emergency eye care, don’t hesitate to call or visit our office for more information.