Your Source for Emergency Treatment: The Eye Institute

Few prospects are more nightmarish than experiencing a sudden, painful eye emergency. Acute diseases, disorders, and injuries are not only intensely uncomfortable, but some of them can also result in severe, permanent vision loss or eye damage. When you're in need of emergency treatment, your first instinct may be to run to the emergency room -- but you can receive even more skilled diagnosis and treatment of your emergency condition right here at The Eye Institute.

When Eyes Need Emergency Treatment

Because the eyes are so sensitive, even the irritation caused by dry eye or a passing speck of harmless dust can feel like a dire situation. But some issues need to be treated as genuine emergencies. These include:

• Narrow-angle glaucoma - Unlike the similarly destructive but slow-moving open-angle glaucoma, narrow-angle glaucoma can create an emergency situation. If the drainage angle at the front your eye gets completely blocked off, the fluid pressure inside the eye may rise so rapidly that you experience severe eye pain, headaches, nausea and significant vision loss. We need to treat this condition right away to get the pressure down to prevent possible blindness in the affected eye.
• Foreign bodies or substances - It's all too easy for a foreign object or substance to land on the surface of the eye, causing severe pain and potential corneal damage. This is especially true if you are are risk of exposure to flying debris or corrosive liquids in your workplace. We can examine the affected eye and remove any visible objects. Irrigating the eyes can be useful both for removing foreign bodies and for washing out irritating or corrosive liquids.
• Severe conjunctivitis - A case of "pinkeye," or conjunctivitis, shouldn't be taken lightly. While mild conjunctival irritation related to allergies or other environmental factors may resolve themselves easily enough, viral or bacterial conjunctivitis can linger and grow into a severe infection that may lead to corneal ulceration and scarring. We can evaluate the cause of your conjunctivitis, prescribing antibiotics, antiviral drugs and home care remedies to get the situation under control.
• Injuries - Sports or other high-impact activities may result an injury to any part of the eye, from scratches on the cornea or burst blood vessels to retinal detachment. Your optometrist in Knightdale NC can examine the scope of the damage, administer first aid, and determine whether you need a referral to an eye surgeon for retinal repairs.

Prompt, Compassionate Care From Your Optometrist in Knightdale NC

Your eyes are too precious to let a potential eye emergency go untreated. If you're experiencing sudden vision changes, pain, changes in the eye's appearance and/or you've suffered an obvious eye trauma, contact The Eye Institute right away at 919-266-2048 to arrange for emergency treatment. Your Knightdale NC optometrist is ready to provide prompt, compassionate care and emergency referrals that can bring swift relief from your distress -- and may even save your eyesight!