Eye Injuries

To avoid losing your vision, it is essential to go to the ER if you are experiencing any of the following general indications of eye trauma:

• Blood in the eye(s)
• Blurred, doubled, or lost vision
• Cut or split eyelid(s)
• Debris (large or small) forced into the eye
• Floaters (specks or clouds that appear in your vision)
• Pain or discomfort
• Retinal detachment
• Splashed poison or chemical in the eye(s)
• Swollen, bruised area on or around the eyes
• Trouble closing or opening one or both eyes

RISK FACTORS

Without realizing it, many people put themselves at risk for eye injuries every day through their job, maintaining their household, playing sports, and everyday normal tasks. While eye injuries are preventable, many can happen in the blink of an eye, literally. Situations that put you higher at risk for an eye injury can include:

• Automobile accidents
• Children who play with pointed or projectile toys
• Cooking mishaps
• Participating in sports or extracurricular activities where there are sharp objects, equipment that can be lodged in the eye, or traumatic injury to the face (such as archery, baseball, football, and more)
• Working around/with chemicals

The best thing you can do when an eye injury happens is to be seen by an emergency-trained physician. While you may want to remedy the situation yourself, getting immediate medical attention may save your vision. Do your best to not touch, rub, or apply pressure to the eye with your hands, fingers, or tools. Do not attempt to fix or remove objects from the eye(s) — this does include contact lenses in your eye at the time of the incident. If you are the person with the injury, do not attempt to drive your vehicle and risk further injury to yourself and others. When you arrive at iCare ER & Urgent Care, we will assess your situation for the best course of action. You may be treated by one of our ER physicians or transferred to a local hospital or eye specialist for more intensive care.