Emergency Eye Care in
Solana Beach

Chemical injury can occur when your eyes come into contact with any chemical, including solid, liquid, powder, or aerosol chemicals. Chemical exposure can happen anywhere, including the home. Some of the most common chemical injuries are caused by:

• Soaps
• Disinfectants
• Solvents
• Cosmetics
• Drain cleaners
• Oven cleaners
• Ammonia
• Bleach
• Pesticides
• Fertilizers

Alkaline burns, like those sustained from drain cleaner, oven cleaner, or ammonia, are especially dangerous because they penetrate the eye tissues more readily.

If your eyes come into contact with a chemical, immediately rinse them with a continuous stream of cool water for at least 10 minutes. Then call us for help.

A foreign object in the eye includes anything that doesn’t belong there, from small dust particles, hair, to metal shards. While small objects like hair or dust commonly enter the eyes and rarely count as an eye emergency, they can occasionally scratch the cornea. Untreated corneal abrasions can become infected and turn into ulcers.

Larger and sharper foreign objects, like metal and glass, pose a more significant risk to your eye health. Sharp objects can penetrate the eye and require an eye care professional to remove them.

Never attempt to remove sharp foreign bodies yourself because you may cause further damage to your eye. While awaiting medical attention:

• Restrict eye movements
• Bandage or cover the eye with a paper cup
• Cover the uninjured eye to help prevent the injured eye from moving

Vision loss is considered “sudden” if it occurs over a few minutes to a few days. Vision loss is always considered an eye emergency, so call us immediately if you experience any degree of vision loss. We can determine what’s causing your vision loss during a comprehensive eye exam.

Vision loss generally occurs due to 3 different reasons, which can be caused by eye injuries or eye diseases:

• Obstruction of normally transparent eye structures
• Abnormalities of the retina
• Abnormalities of the optic nerve and the visual pathways

Blunt eye injuries occur when you’re struck in the face or the eye with something like a ball or a fist. These types of injuries can damage your eyelid, eye, or the thin bones behind your eye. Even an injury that appears minor needs to be examined by your optometrist. Damage isn’t always apparent and can result in long-term complications.

Blunt trauma can cause:

• Bruising and swelling (black eye)
• Cuts on the eyelid or skin around the eye
• Scratches on the cornea
• Detached retina
• Dislocated lens
• Bleeding in the eye
• Blowout fracture
• Globe rupture