Emergency Eye Care
Emergency Eye Care in Phoenix
Most people with an eye problem go to an urgent care or an emergency room, wait several hours, and are then referred to an eye doctor anyway. It is a frustrating and common experience, and it happens because examining an eye properly requires equipment general medicine does not have.
We keep same-day appointments open for eye emergencies. If something has happened to your eye, call us first. We will tell you honestly whether we can handle it, whether you need an ophthalmologist urgently, or whether it needs an emergency room.
This page includes the symptoms that should not wait. If you have any of them, stop reading and call.
Call immediately for any of these
- Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes, even briefly
- A sudden shower of new floaters, especially with flashes of light
- A curtain, shadow or veil moving across your field of vision, which can indicate retinal detachment
- Chemical splash of any kind. Flush with clean water for fifteen minutes first, then call while still flushing if possible
- Any penetrating injury or suspicion that something has entered the eye. Do not attempt to remove it
- Severe eye pain, particularly with nausea, vomiting, or halos around lights
- Sudden onset of double vision
- Sudden drooping of an eyelid, or a pupil that has changed size
- Significant blunt trauma to the eye or orbit
Same-day, but not a 911 situation
- A foreign body sensation that will not resolve, or visible material on the eye
- A corneal abrasion or scratch
- Sudden redness with pain and light sensitivity, which may be iritis
- A red, discharging eye, which may be infective conjunctivitis
- Contact lens related pain, redness or blur. Remove the lens and call
- A stye or lid infection that is worsening or spreading
- Welding flash or intense UV exposure causing pain some hours later
- Sudden onset of significant light sensitivity
Why an optometrist rather than urgent care
A slit lamp is a specialised microscope that examines the eye under high magnification with a controllable beam of light. It is how a corneal abrasion is visualised, how a foreign body is located and removed, and how inflammation inside the eye is identified. Almost no urgent care has one, and having one is not much use without the training to interpret what it shows.
We also have diagnostic drops for staining the cornea, anaesthetic for examining a painful eye properly, and dilating drops for assessing the retina after trauma. And we can prescribe the ocular medications that treat what we find.
For a genuine ocular emergency, this is the difference between being treated and being referred.
What to do before you get here
- Chemical splash
- Flush immediately with clean lukewarm water for at least fifteen minutes, holding the eye open. Do not stop to look for an eyewash station if water is closer. This is the one situation where flushing before calling is correct. Bring the container or a photo of the label.
- Something in the eye
- Do not rub. Blink repeatedly and try flushing with clean water or saline. If it does not clear, call. Never attempt to remove anything embedded in the eye.
- Blunt trauma
- Apply a cold compress gently without pressing on the eye itself. Do not apply pressure. Call us.
- Penetrating injury
- Do not remove the object, do not press, do not rinse. Shield the eye without touching it, using a paper cup taped over it if available, and get to an emergency room immediately.
- Contact lens problem
- Remove the lens. Do not put it back in. Keep it in case we need to see it. Call us.
- Welding or UV flash
- Pain typically begins several hours after exposure. Stay out of bright light and call. This is painful and generally heals well when treated.
Common eye emergencies in this climate
Our appointment book reflects the environment. Dust storms produce a reliable wave of corneal abrasions and foreign bodies each monsoon season, when fine grit driven at speed gets under a lid and is then rubbed across the cornea.
Construction and landscaping work generate a steady stream of foreign body injuries, and the west valley agricultural sector adds its own. Pool chemicals cause chemical injuries, particularly in summer. Intense sun and reflected glare from pale rock cause photokeratitis, essentially a corneal sunburn, which is more common here than most people expect.
The consistent theme is that most of these are preventable with proper eye protection, and we would much rather fit you for safety eyewear than treat the injury.
Who this is for
- Anyone with a sudden change in vision
- People with an eye injury, at work, in sport or at home
- Contact lens wearers with pain, redness or sudden blur
- Anyone with a red, painful or light-sensitive eye
- People who would otherwise sit in an emergency room for several hours
- Parents of children with an eye injury
Our process
Every patient goes through the same sequence, so you always know what happens next.
- 1
Call us first
Describe what happened. We triage over the phone and tell you honestly whether to come here, go to an ophthalmologist, or go to an emergency room.
- 2
Same-day appointment
We hold slots for urgent problems. In most cases you are seen the same day.
- 3
Focused examination
Slit lamp examination, staining, pressure and dilated retinal assessment as the situation requires.
- 4
Immediate treatment
Foreign body removal, treatment of abrasions and infection, and prescription of ocular medication where indicated.
- 5
Urgent referral when needed
Where a condition needs surgical or specialist care we arrange it directly rather than sending you to find someone.
- 6
Follow-up
Eye injuries need rechecking. We schedule follow-up rather than assuming it resolved.
Related care
- Comprehensive Eye ExamsA full eye health examination, not a quick vision check. Two patients an hour in Ahwatukee, so nothing is rushed and your questions get answered.
- Safety and Sports EyewearANSI Z87.1 prescription safety glasses and impact-rated sports eyewear, fitted properly in Ahwatukee. Protection that gets worn because it fits.
- Contact Lens ExamsA contact lens exam is more than a glasses prescription. Corneal measurement, tear film assessment and a fit that stays comfortable all day.
Emergency Eye Care questions, answered
Should I go to the emergency room or call you?
For most eye problems, call us first. We can examine an eye properly and treat what we find, which a general emergency department usually cannot. Go straight to an emergency room for penetrating injury, major trauma, or if the eye problem accompanies a head injury or other serious symptoms.
I have new floaters and flashes. Is that urgent?
Yes, treat it as urgent and call today. A sudden increase in floaters with flashes can indicate a retinal tear or detachment. Caught early a tear is often treated simply and vision preserved. Left alone it can progress to a detachment, which is far more serious.
My eye is red. Is that an emergency?
It depends on what accompanies it. Redness alone is usually not urgent. Redness with pain, light sensitivity or reduced vision is, and should be seen the same day. Redness in a contact lens wearer should always be treated as urgent, and the lens removed immediately.
Can you remove something from my eye?
Yes, in most cases. We remove foreign bodies routinely using a slit lamp and anaesthetic drops, including embedded metal and rust rings. Do not try to remove anything yourself, and never rub the eye, which drags the object across the cornea.
Do you charge more for an emergency visit?
An urgent visit is billed as a medical eye examination, which usually goes to your medical insurance rather than a vision plan. We are not going to leave you sitting with an injured eye while sorting out billing. Call, come in, and we will work the coverage out.
What if it happens outside your hours?
For a genuine emergency outside our hours, go to an emergency room or an ophthalmology emergency service. If it can safely wait, call us as soon as we open and we will fit you in the same day.
Book an appointment with a doctor who has time for you
We schedule 2 patients an hour, so your exam is unhurried and your questions get answered. Most patients are seen within a few days.