You’ve got something stuck in your eye.
It’s sore. It’s watering. You can barely keep it open.
So you head to urgent care… and then you wait.
And wait.
And wait.
Six hours later, you’re still sitting there wondering if you should have just done something else.
The good news? Some eye problems can be assessed by an optometrist and you may not need to spend your entire day sitting in a waiting room.
Your eyes need the right kind of care
Optometrists aren’t just there for routine eye tests and glasses.
We’re trained to assess a wide range of eye conditions and injuries, and we have specialised equipment designed specifically for looking at the eye in detail.
At Lens Lounge, we can assess urgent eye concerns including things like:
Something stuck in your eye
Dust, grit or metal in the eye
Eye irritation or discomfort
A red or painful eye
Sudden changes in vision
Contact lens-related problems
Suspected scratches or injuries to the surface of the eye
One of the most useful pieces of equipment is a slit lamp - essentially a specialised microscope that lets us examine the front of the eye in much more detail than you can with the naked eye.
And sometimes, that means we can identify the problem and treat it then and there.
What about something stuck in your eye?
This is one we see fairly regularly.
Whether it’s a tiny piece of metal from grinding, a speck of dust, or something that has somehow found its way into your eye, don’t start digging around with your fingernails trying to get it out.
A foreign body can scratch the surface of the eye, and some materials can cause more serious damage if they're left there.
An optometrist can examine the eye properly, locate the foreign body and determine the safest way to manage it.
But isn't the emergency department better?
Sometimes, absolutely.
If you've had significant trauma, a chemical injury, sudden or severe loss of vision, penetrating injury, or another serious eye emergency, you should seek urgent medical attention.
And if you're ever unsure about the severity of an eye injury, it's always better to err on the side of caution.
But for many urgent eye concerns, an optometrist can be a very appropriate first point of contact.
So, what should you do?
If your eye suddenly feels wrong, don't automatically assume you need to wait until your next routine eye test.
Give us a call.
We keep appointments available for urgent eye concerns where we can, and if your problem needs a different level of care, we'll let you know and help point you in the right direction.
Because we'd much rather see you for a quick assessment than have you sitting in urgent care for six hours wondering whether there was another option.
Something in your eye? Eye suddenly not feeling right? Give Lens Lounge a call.
