Eye emergencies are situations that require urgent professional evaluation — often within hours — to prevent permanent vision loss. Knowing which symptoms constitute a true emergency versus those that can wait for a routine appointment could save your sight. When in doubt, call us immediately. We prioritize same-day care for urgent eye conditions.

True Ocular Emergencies — Seek Care Immediately

  • Sudden vision loss — Abrupt loss of vision in one or both eyes, with or without pain, is always an emergency. Possible causes include retinal artery occlusion, retinal detachment, and acute angle-closure glaucoma — all time-sensitive.
  • Sudden increase in floaters with or without flashes of light — A new shower of floaters, especially with flashing lights (photopsias), may indicate a posterior vitreous detachment or retinal tear. A retinal tear requires urgent laser treatment to prevent it from progressing to retinal detachment.
  • Chemical or caustic substance in the eye — Immediately flush the eye with clean water or saline for 15–20 minutes continuously, then seek emergency care. Alkali burns (from ammonia, bleach, drain cleaners) are especially dangerous and require immediate irrigation.
  • Penetrating eye injury — Do not remove the object; cover the eye gently without applying pressure and go directly to an emergency room.
  • Blunt trauma to the eye — Even if vision seems intact, blunt injury can cause internal damage including hyphema (blood in the anterior chamber) or retinal injury that requires prompt evaluation.
  • Sudden eye pain with nausea, headache, and halos around lights — Classic symptoms of acute angle-closure glaucoma, which can cause permanent vision loss within hours without treatment.

Urgent but Not Emergency — Call Us for Same-Day Care

  • Foreign body in the eye not flushed out by rinsing
  • Corneal abrasion from a scratch or contact lens
  • Sudden onset of double vision
  • Eyelid laceration
  • Significant eye infection or severe conjunctivitis

For any ocular emergency during office hours, call us immediately at (310) 540-3787. We make every effort to see urgent cases the same day. For after-hours emergencies involving potential sight-threatening conditions, go to the nearest emergency room.