How to Handle an Eye Emergency During COVID-19

EMERGENCY EYECARE IN CALGARY

What is an Eye Emergency?

An eye emergency can happen at any time and often refers to situations where an injury or burn affects your eye area, or you have a foreign object or chemical in your eye. If you experience any redness, swelling, or eye pain, you MUST contact your Calgary eye doctor immediately.

Why Urgent and Prompt Eye Care is So Important: Without proper treatment, eye damage or injury can lead to partial loss of vision, or even permanent blindness.

What Not To Do If You Have an Eye Emergency

Serious complications can result from an eye injury, which is why you should NEVER attempt to treat yourself. Although it may be tempting, make sure you don’t:

• Rub or apply pressure to your eye
• Attempt to remove any foreign objects that are stuck in your eye
• Use tweezers or other tools in your eyes
• Put ointment or medication in your eye

The best thing you can do if you have an eye emergency is to get to your Calgary eye doctor as quickly as possible.

 

4 Common Eye Injuries and What You Need to Do

Eye emergencies can happen to anyone, at any time, so it’s always best to be prepared and understand what you need to do in such a situation. Here are 3 of the most common eye emergencies and the steps you need to take if you or a family member have suffered an eye injury.

 

Chemical Injuries to the Eye

Chemical burns result when chemicals, such as cleaning products, enter your eye. You can also suffer burns in your eye from aerosols and fumes. If you do get acid in your eye, early treatment generally results in a good prognosis.

Here are the steps you need to take if you get chemicals in your eye:

• Wash your hands with soap and water to remove any chemicals that may have gotten onto your skin.
• Flush the affected eye with cool tap water for 15 minutes. This can also be done in the shower.
• If you’re wearing contact lenses and they are still in your eye after flushing, you should try and remove them.
• Get to your eye doctor as quickly as you can. If possible, continue to flush out your eye while you’re traveling to the eye clinic.

Small Foreign Object in Your Eye

If something gets in your eye, it can cause loss of vision or eye damage. Even something as small as dust can cause irritation. If you feel you have something in your eye, take the following steps:

• Try blinking to see if that clears your eye. DO NOT rub your eye.
• Always wash your hands before touching your eye. Ask a friend or family member to look into your eye to try and locate the object.
• If you have any, use artificial eye drops to help rinse out the foreign body.
• If the object is stuck on one of your eyelids, flush it with water. If the object is in your eye, flush it out with cool water.
• If the irritation continues or you are unable to remove the object, contact your eye doctor.

Large Foreign Object

Large foreign objects are objects such as glass or metal and if they enter your eye, they can cause serious damage. If something is stuck where it is, leave it. Do not touch it or apply pressure, and DO NOT attempt to remove it.

This is a medical emergency and you should seek help immediately. Try to move the affected eye as little as possible while you wait for your eye doctor.

Cuts and Scratches

If you have a cut or scratch to your eyeball, you need medical care. You can apply a loose bandage while you wait for medical treatment, but be careful not to apply pressure.

Top Tips to Prevent an Eye Emergency

Injuries can happen anywhere - at work, home, or even in the playground. While you cannot always prevent such scenarios, there are steps you can take to lower your risk of eye injuries, including:

• Wear protective eyewear when you use power tools or engage in sporting events.
• Follow directions carefully when working with chemicals and cleaning supplies.
• Keep any knives, scissors, or other sharp instruments away from children. Teach your older children how to use them safely.
• Don’t let children play with projectile toys, such as darts.
• Childproof your home by cushioning items with sharp edges or removing them completely.

Have an Eye Emergency? Our Eye Doctors Are Here During This Trying Time

Blink Eyewear’s mandate has always been to provide our patients with quality eye healthcare, and even with COVID-19, this hasn’t changed! Our eye doctors are still providing emergency eye care services at our Creekside location, which is open for emergency urgent care by APPOINTMENT ONLY.

If you have an eye emergency, please email creek@blinkeyewear.ca, or call us at 403-516-2292 and we will get back to you as soon as possible. After a phone or video consultation, we will come up with a treatment plan.

All our other Blink Eyewear clinics are temporarily closed, but contact our Optometry hotline if you need any eye care help!

As we make our way through this unprecedented and trying time, we want to thank you for your patience, understanding, and loyalty. A heartfelt appreciation for trusting Blink Eyewear for all your vision needs.