Emergency Eye Care

This short video stresses the importance of knowing the hazards at home and in the workplace regarding your eyes. In this video, we review a few actual incidents where people lost part or all of their vision, along with one whose vision was saved by safety eyewear.

Our Northwest & Southwest Calgary optometrists are always willing to help, should you ever require emergency services for eye infections, eye injuries and other eye urgencies. Ocular emergencies can arise at any time and it's best you don’t try to judge the severity yourself, but rather seek the opinion of an eye doctor to minimize the risk of permanently affecting your vision. We are able to examine the front surface of the eye and digitally scan inside the eye using modern equipment. It is important to rule out infections and damage to the delicate structures of the eye.

We accommodate many eye emergencies such as

  • Eye infections
  • Eye trauma
  • Foreign materials stuck in the eyes
  • Scratched eyes
  • Red or painful eyes
  • Flashes of light in the vision
  • Lost or broken contact lenses or eyeglasses
  • “Floaters” in the vision
  • Dislodged contact lenses
  • Uncomfortable, itchy, or irritated eyes


It is not always necessary to go to an emergency room for eye emergencies, and studies have shown that an overwhelming number of emergency room visits could have been treated by an optometrist. The most common reasons for emergency room visits include foreign bodies in the eye, severe eye allergies, and eye infections.

When you encounter symptoms such as those listed above, an immediate evaluation or consultation is advisable. Please call Blink Eyewear if you are experiencing an eye emergency of any kind.

Seeing in Style

Are you looking for the latest Oakley and Ray-Ban frames? We have them. Or perhaps you are yearnings for something more upscale, like D&G or Prada? We have them too. 

Our Creekside, West Springs, and Crowfoot stores carry frames at every price point and for every purpose. Standard prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses, sports glasses, transition lenses, eyewear for kids… we have designer brands for all!

Foreign Bodies

A foreign body, such as an eyelash, sawdust, sand, or dirt, can get into the eye and cause irritation or pain. Depending on what it is and how the injury happened, the foreign body may pierce the eye and cause serious injury or it may simply go away with no long-term problem.

The foreign object may set off a cascade of events resulting in dilation of the surrounding vessels, and subsequent edema of the lids, conjunctiva, and cornea. If not removed promptly, a foreign body can cause serious infection.

If anything is stuck in your eye for more than a few hours, you must immediately stop trying to remove it yourself. The eye is an extremely delicate organ and any attempts to try anything extraordinary can have serious adverse results.  

How Can An Eye Doctor Help?

If there is a foreign body in your eyes, such as a piece of grit, our Creekside, West Springs or Crowfoot eye doctors may try to remove it. First, they will place anesthetic eye drops in the affected eye to numb it and prevent any pain. Your eye may feel a bit uncomfortable once the anesthetic eye drops have worn off but that will diminish as the foreign body is removed and your abrasion heals.

If the foreign body is easy to get to, it may be possible to remove it by simply rinsing your eye with water, or by gently wiping it away. However, if this is unsuccessful, your eye doctor may try and remove the foreign body by lifting it out with a small instrument.

If debris becomes trapped underneath your upper eyelid or you have scratches (abrasions) on your cornea, your eye doctor would likely have to gently turn your eyelid inside out to remove the foreign body.

Sometimes a fast-moving foreign body can penetrate the outer eye layers. If you are experiencing severe redness, pain, and sensitivity to light, please call our West Springs office, Creekside office, or Crowfoot office for further instructions. Doing nothing or delaying care can lead to irreversible vision loss.

Eye Safety, Safety Eyewear and Eye Injury Prevention

Some symptoms that require emergency service include, but are not limited to:

  • Sudden loss of vision.
  • Foreign body in the eye (especially metal or chemicals).
  • Pink Eye.
  • Sudden double vision.
  • Sudden red/painful eye.
  • New or worsening swelling or pain after eye surgery.
  • New onset flashes and/or floaters.

While waiting for professional medical assistance, please do not:

  • Press on the injured eye(s) or rub the eye(s).
  • Attempt to remove an embedded object in any part of the eye.
  • Attempt to remove a foreign body that is resting on the cornea (the clear surface of the eye through which we see).
  • Use dry cotton (including cotton swabs) or sharp instruments (such as tweezers) on the eye.

Red, Pink, or Sore Eyes?

In addition to the services such as routine eye exams, contact lenses, designer frames and eyeglasses – think of us first for:

  • Sore, red, or itchy eyes.
  • Treatment of “pink eye” and other bacterial infections.
  • Removal of foreign bodies from the eye (such as wood or metal).
  • Treatment of eye allergies or burns.
  • Emergency eye care.
  • Post-surgical follow-up.
  • At Blink Eyewear we are ready to look after ALL of your eye care needs.

Our Eye Treatments

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Outstanding vision care across Calgary

Outstanding vision care across Calgary

Blink Eyewear is the largest provider of vision services and care in Calgary, operating no fewer than 4 accessible locations across the region. All of our stores are inventoried with the most sought-after designer and commercial frames and eyewear for all occasions and purposes. 

Home to experienced optometrists and opticians, our stores also offer comprehensive eye exams to individuals of all ages, emergency eye care, and the treatment and management of eye conditions such as glaucoma and macular degeneration.

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Blink Eyewear boasts the largest collection of eyewear in Calgary, but our 4 locations are also home to the region’s finest optometrists. Just as you will not find a better store to shop for your eyewear, you will not find a better vision clinic to do your eye exam or treat your eye condition. 

Go ahead and Blink; what you see is really what you get. Call one of our store numbers or fill out the form below to book an appointment.

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