1. True eye emergencies – call for immediate treatment within seconds or minutes.
2. Urgent emergencies – need some sort of diagnosis and treatment within 1 or 2 hours.
3. Semi-urgent eye emergencies – require treatment within days or weeks

Examples of True Eye Emergencies

· Chemical burns when acidic or other burning chemicals enter the eye
· Cuts when objects enter and pierce the eye
· Retinal artery occlusion which is an abrupt but painless loss of vision when the main artery to the retina is blocked

How to Treat True Eye Emergencies

If you are experiencing a true eye emergency, DO NOT:
· Apply pressure to an eye which has a foreign object in it or a cut on it
· Remove a contact lens or other object in the eye
· Touch or rub the eye

If you can’t get medical attention immediately, cover the eye with a bandage, eye shield, or paper cup taped in position.

To treat chemical burns, flush the eye with water right away and repeat every 15 minutes. Don’t put anything else into the eye and go to the nearest emergency room.

Do not try to treat retinal artery occlusion yourself. Go to the nearest emergency room.

Examples of Urgent Eye Emergencies

· Cellulitis – eye socket infection which causes inflammation and pain
· Corneal abrasion – scratch on the cornea caused by foreign object(s) in the eye
· Corneal ulcer – little painful sore on the cornea
· Endophthalmitis – infection in the interior of the eye which causes abrupt, extreme eye pain and impairment of vision
· Foreign object in the eye – may penetrate the eyeball
· Glaucoma – unexpected increase in pressure in the eyeball, causing reduced vision and pain
· Hyphema – bleeding into the front chamber of the eye, often due to blunt trauma
· Iritis – inflammation in the front chamber of the eye which results in redness and light sensitivity
· Lid laceration – cut on either the upper or lower eyelid or both
· Retinal detachment or tear – the retina becomes torn or detached causing flashing lights, “floaters” (spots on the eye), or shadows covering a portion of the visual field

For treatment of any of the above urgent eye emergencies, visit an urgent care center or a qualified ophthalmologist in the first few hours after noticing the eye emergency.

Examples of Semi-urgent Eye Emergencies

· Broken facial bones – eye socket bone fractures
· Exophthalmos – bulging of the eyeball which looks like staring
· Eye tumors – growths or masses that occur in or next to the eye
· Muscle imbalances – eyes are not aligned with one another
· Optic nerve tumors – growths or masses that occur in or next to the optic nerve
· Optic neuritis – swelling of the optical nerve causing rapid haziness and/or dimness of vision in either eye or both
· Orbit tumors – tumors in the cavity or socket of the skull in which the eye and its appendages are situated.

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