Red eye, floaters, something in your eye: when to call an eye doctor today
Some eye problems can wait until your next exam. These can't. Here's how to tell the difference, and what to do in the first ten minutes.
Most people's first instinct with an eye problem is the urgent care clinic or the ER. For a lot of eye issues, an optometrist can see you faster, has the right equipment, and costs less. Here is a guide to what needs attention now, and what to do first.
Call the same day
- Sudden flashes of light, a burst of new floaters, or a shadow or curtain across part of your vision. These can be signs of a retinal tear or detachment, which is time-sensitive. Call immediately; if it's after hours and you can't reach an eye doctor, go to the ER.
- A red eye that is painful or sensitive to light, especially if you wear contact lenses. Take the lens out and call. Corneal infections in lens wearers can get serious within a day.
- Something in your eye that won't rinse out, or a scratch from a branch, fingernail or metal. Don't rub. Metal fragments in particular need to come out promptly.
- Chemical splash. Rinse with clean water for at least fifteen minutes first, then call. Rinsing is the treatment; don't skip it to get in the car.
- A sudden drop in vision in one or both eyes, with or without pain. If it comes with weakness, numbness, confusion or trouble speaking, call 911; it could be a stroke.
- Double vision that's new, a drooping lid, or a pupil that's suddenly a different size than the other.
Call within a day or two
- Pink eye that's goopy, itchy or spreading to the other eye. Some is viral and self-limiting, some needs drops, and some "pink eye" is actually something else.
- A stye or swollen lid that's getting bigger or more painful.
- A bright red patch on the white of the eye with no pain. Usually a harmless broken vessel, but worth a look if it recurs.
- Eye strain and headaches that are new or worsening.
What we can do in the office
Dr. Dolan can examine the eye under magnification, remove foreign bodies, check for scratches with a dye, look at the retina, and prescribe medications for infections, inflammation and allergies. If you need a specialist or surgery, we get you to one quickly. Urgent visits are medical care and are billed to your health insurance.
A note for contact lens wearers
If an eye is red and uncomfortable, the lens comes out and stays out until you've been seen. Never "push through" with lenses in, and never sleep in them unless prescribed for that.
We keep room in the schedule for urgent visits. Call (248) 375-0040; we're at 3110 Walton Blvd in Rochester Hills, near Adams Rd.
20/20 Vision is an independent optometry practice and designer eyewear boutique at 3110 Walton Blvd, Rochester Hills, MI 48309, serving Rochester Hills, Rochester, Oakland Township, Auburn Hills and Troy since 1980. Eye exams with Dr. David Dolan, OD. In-network with VSP.