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If you’ve ever gotten hit in the face, you know how painful eye trauma can be. Scratches and chemical injuries can also cause severe eye pain and even sudden vision loss.

Other eye emergencies cause vision problems, but not much pain at all.

So, what are the most common eye emergencies? Read on to find out, as well as what to do if you experience one.

What Are the Most Common Eye Emergencies in Adults?

Eye injuries are some of the most common eye emergencies.

It’s not surprising that many eye injuries happen on the job. They are more common in fields like construction, manufacturing, mining, and welding.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, nearly half of all eye injuries occur in the home. Everyday activities like home repairs, yard work, cleaning, and cooking result in 40% of all eye injuries. Another 40% of eye injuries happen during sports or recreational activities.

You can prevent many eye injuries by wearing protective eyewear and following common-sense safety tips.

Some of the most common causes of eye trauma include blunt force, chemical exposure, and corneal abrasion.

Blunt force trauma

Blunt force trauma to the eye can come from a punch, a baseball, airbags, or anything else that hits your face hard. It may result in a typical black eye appearance, which is caused by bleeding under the skin.

After an injury, the eyelid and tissue around the eye may swell. The pressure from a swollen eyelid or face can cause additional damage to the eye. In severe cases, trauma can lead to ruptured eyeball, bleeding behind eyeball or damage to optic nerve all of which can result in severe vision loss. It’s important to get checked right away to reduce the risk of permanent damage.

Chemical eye injury

Cleaning solutions, garden chemicals, solvents, and fumes can cause serious damage to the cornea. Other dangerous substances include lime, lye, and drain cleaners. If you get chemicals in your eye, flush it with copious clean water and seek medical care right away.

Corneal abrasion

A corneal abrasion is a cut or scratch on the cornea. The cornea is the clear tissue that covers the front of the eye. The abrasion could come from something as simple as a piece of paper, a fingernail, or a tree branch. You may feel pain and sensitive to light even with small scratch. Any scratch should be evaluated by an eye care professional as they can lead to infections, scarring, and/or result in issues with recurrent abrasions in the future in the area of initial insult.

Corneal and conjunctival foreign bodies

A foreign body, like a particle of dust or sand, can lodge in the cornea or conjunctiva without going all the way into the eyeball. But even a tiny particle can cause a lot of pain. You may also notice foreign body sensation, sensitivity to light and redness in the eye. It should be promptly removed by an eye care  professional.

Penetrating trauma

This injury occurs when an object, like a knife, stick, or nail, enters the eye. Industrial accidents are often to blame. These injuries usually need surgical intervention and could have serious consequences, including permanent vision loss or even the loss of an eye. Prompt care can improve chances of positive outcomes.

Eyelid laceration

This condition is cut or tear of the eyelid, usually caused by blunt or sharp trauma, or animal bites. You may experience eyelid pain and bleeding. You should seek medical care promptly.

Other Types of Eye Emergencies

Not every eye emergency results from an injury, but these eye problems can be just as painful and serious, requiring prompt eye care.

Acute angle closure glaucoma

Acute angle closure glaucoma is the acute increase in fluid pressure inside the eye. You might have eye pain, blurred vision, colored halos around lights, headache, nausea and vomiting.

Seek medical treatment right away to minimize the risk of permanent damage.

Corneal infection (Keratitis)

The condition happens when germs such as bacteria, fungi, or viruses infect the clear front part of the eye (cornea). It can develop after an eye injury, improper contact lens use or when the eye’s natural defenses are weakened. You may experience blurred vision, severe pain, redness, tearing, sensitivity to light. If not treated quickly, it can cause permanent scarring of the cornea and even vision loss.

Uveitis

Uveitis is an inflammation of uvea tract (middle layer of the eye wall that supplies blood the eye). There are many reasons including infection, trauma, and autoimmune disease. You may notice eye pain, blurred vision, redness, sensitivity to light. Uveitis should be treated promptly to reduce risk of vision-threatening complications.

Endophthalmitis 

Endophthalmitis is a serious infection inside the eye, usually caused by bacteria or fungi. It can happen after eye surgery, eye injury, or when germs spread from another part of the body. Symptoms may include eye pain (or increasing eye pain after surgical procedure), sudden onset of decreased vision, eye redness.

This condition is an eye emergency, it can lead to permanent vision loss without fast treatment.

Optic neuritis

Optic neuritis is when the optic nerve (the nerve connects eye to brain) becomes inflamed. It can be associated with some neurological diseases or systemic diseases.  You many have sudden vision loss, blurred spots in vision, loss or reduction of color vision, pain behind the eye, especially with eye movement. If you experience these symptoms, prompt care is essential to reduce the risk of permanent vision loss. as soon as possible.

Orbital cellulitis

Cellulitis is a bacterial or fungal infection of structures around eye. Preseptal cellulitis affects just the eyelid tissue. Orbital cellulitis is a more serious condition that affects the eye socket, causing pain, blurred vision, eyelid swelling, restricted eye movement.

Orbital cellulitis may result from an insect bite, a wound, or a sinus infection. It sometimes happens after orbital or paranasal sinus or dental surgery. The infection can cause vision loss and spread throughout your body.

Retinal detachment 

Although it’s not typically painful, having a detached retina is serious. It happens when the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of your eye (retina) gets pulled away from its normal position. High myopia, eye trauma and family history are risk factors for developing the condition.

You may notice a dark shadow in your field of vision. Other signs of a detached retina are flashes of light or/and  sudden increase in floaters (squiggly lines and spots moving across your field of vision). If you have any of these symptoms, you should get medical help immediately.

Retinal vein occlusion/ Retinal artery occlusion

Retinal vein occlusion is the blockage of vein in the retina (blood vessels from the retina), it’s mainly caused by hardening of the arteries. You may have painless sudden vision loss or blind spot in the visual filed.

Retinal artery occlusion is the blockage of artery in the retina(blood vessels going to the retina). A blood clot, or embous could cause the blockage. You may notice abrupt change in vision, partial visual filed loss or painless acute vision loss.

You typically won’t feel pain if a vein or artery gets blocked. But your vision may get blurry, or you could suddenly lose vision in one eye. You should seek medical attention right away if this happens.

How Can I Tell if My Eye Injury Is Serious? 

It may be hard to tell how serious an acute eye injury is. It’s always better to err on the side of caution and get medical help right away.

Signs of a serious eye injury include:

• A cut or torn eyelid.
• An eye that bulges out of the eye socket.
• Blood or redness in the clear part of the eye.
• Blurry vision or sudden vision loss.
• Eye pain that doesn’t go away.
• Inability to move your eye from side to side or up and down.
• One eye that doesn’t move as well as the other one.
• Seeing halos around lights.
• Unusual pupil size or shape.
• Vomiting.

What Should I Do if I Experience Sudden Vision Loss or an Acute Eye Injury?

If you have an eye injury or suddenly lose vision, seek medical attention immediately. If there is a vision urgent care center near you, have someone take you there. If not, go to the nearest emergency department.

Chronic Eye Disease FAQs

Some common eye conditions can cause pain and require treatment, but they aren’t emergencies. Chronic eye diseases like dry eye syndrome and ocular allergies can cause discomfort, but do not typically require emergency care.  You should see an eye doctor for treatment.

What are the most common eye diseases treated by optometrists?

Not every eye problem is an emergency, butsome may become serious and require treatment.

Common eye diseases include:

• Pink eye (also known as conjunctivitis).
• Age-related macular degeneration.
• Glaucoma.
• Cataract.
• Diabetic retinopathy.
• Dry eye syndrome.
• Refractive error.

How often should I have a routine eye exam?

A routine eye exam is an important part of your overall health care. Routine eye exams can catch minor problems before they turn into bigger ones.

The American Optometric Association recommends an annual eye exam starting at age 18.