Eye Emergencies: What Counts as One, and What to Do

A sudden change in your vision or a painful or injured eye is frightening. In that moment, it is hard to know whether you need to act right now or whether it can safely wait until morning.

Here is the reassuring part. Most eye problems are not emergencies, and many can be sorted with a same-week appointment or a quick word with your optometrist. A small number are genuinely urgent, and with those, acting quickly can protect your sight.

This guide explains, in plain terms, what counts as an eye emergency, what to do if you are in one, and where to go for help in London and the surrounding areas. If you are ever unsure, it is always better to ask than to wait.

What counts as an eye emergency?

An eye emergency is any situation where waiting could cost you your sight or cause lasting damage. These need immediate medical attention, which usually means calling 999, going to your nearest accident and emergency department, or heading to a dedicated eye casualty unit.

Treat the following as emergencies:

• Sudden loss of vision, in one eye or both, even if it is painless and even if it comes and goes.
• A chemical splash or burn to the eye, from cleaning products, garden chemicals, wet cement or anything similar.
• A penetrating injury, or something embedded in the eye, such as a shard of metal, glass or grit.
• A serious blow to the eye, for example, from a ball, a fist or a fall, especially if your vision changes afterwards.
• A sudden shower of new floaters, flashing lights, or a dark curtain or shadow spreading across your vision. These can be signs of a retinal tear or detachment, which needs urgent assessment.
• Severe eye pain with redness, particularly if you also feel sick, see haloes around lights, or your vision is blurred.
• Sudden double vision, especially alongside a severe headache, weakness or difficulty speaking, can signal a wider medical emergency. In that case, call 999.

If you have any of these, do not wait to see whether it settles. Get help straight away.

Urgent, but not always a 999 emergency

Some eye problems need attention quickly without being a dash-to-hospital situation. These are best handled by an optometrist or by calling NHS 111 for guidance, often on the same day.

• A red, sore or weepy eye that is getting worse rather than better
• A painful or red eye while wearing contact lenses (take your lenses out and do not put them back in until you have been checked)
• A stye, a swollen eyelid, or an eye infection that is spreading or very uncomfortable
• A foreign body sensation, like grit or an eyelash, that you cannot flush out
• New floaters or the occasional flash without a shadow or vision loss, which still deserve a prompt check

The tricky part is that some of these overlap with the emergencies above. A few new floaters are usually harmless, but a sudden shower of them with flashing lights is not. When the line is blurred, treat it as urgent and get advice the same day.

In much of England, there is also a free NHS route for exactly this kind of problem, the Community Urgent Eyecare Service, usually shortened to CUES. It offers urgent assessment, advice or referral for sudden eye problems such as a red eye, flashes, floaters, minor injuries or a foreign body. You are assessed by phone first, then given advice or a face-to-face appointment with a local optometrist if you need one. Availability depends on where you live, so call NHS 111 or check whether the service runs in your area before relying on it.

What to do in an eye emergency

If you think you are having an eye emergency, a few simple steps can protect your sight while you get help.

1. Stay as calm as you can and try not to rub or press the eye. Rubbing can make an injury worse.
2. For a chemical splash, rinse immediately (see below). This is the one situation where you act first and call second.
3. Do not try to remove anything embedded in the eye. Leave it in place and get medical help, as pulling it out can cause more damage.
4. Do not drive yourself. Sudden vision problems make driving unsafe, and you may be given drops that blur your sight. Ask someone to take you, or call 999 for an ambulance if needed.
5. Call for the right help. For a clear emergency, call 999 or go to A&E or eye casualty. If you are unsure, call NHS 111, which can assess you and direct you to the right place.
6. Bring your glasses, any eye drops and a list of your medicines if you go to the hospital.

Chemical splashes: what to do first

A chemical splash is one of the few eye emergencies where seconds count. Rinse the eye with plenty of clean, lukewarm water straight away, holding the eyelids open and letting the water flow across the eye for at least fifteen to twenty minutes. Tip your head so the water runs away from the other eye. Remove contact lenses if you can do so quickly, but do not delay rinsing to hunt for them. Keep rinsing on the way to help, and tell the medical team what the chemical was if you know.

Where to go for urgent eye care in London

You have a few options, and the right one depends on how serious things are.

• For a life-threatening emergency, or if someone is in danger, call 999.
• For urgent eye problems, Moorfields Eye Hospital runs a 24-hour eye accident and emergency department at 162 City Road, London EC1V 2PD, for eye emergencies only. It sits on the Northern Line, the same line that brings many of our Belsize Park clients into the practice. Moorfields also offers a daytime video consultation service and a nurse-led advice line.
• If you are not sure how urgent your problem is, call NHS 111. They can assess your symptoms and point you to the right service, which is often a local optometrist rather than a hospital.
• For children, Moorfields has a dedicated children’s eye A&E during weekday daytime hours, with its main department covering all other times.

A quick note on what these services are not. A hospital eye casualty is for genuine emergencies, not routine problems like dry eyes, hay fever or a check on your prescription. For those, your optometrist is the right first port of call.

How can we help at Perspective?

We are an independent optometry practice in Belsize Park, not a 24-hour emergency unit, so for anything sight-threatening, the services above come first. What we can do is be a calm, expert first point of contact during our opening hours.

If you call us with an urgent worry, an optometrist-led team will help you understand how serious it is and what to do next. Where it is appropriate, we can examine your eyes properly and look closely at the health of your retina. And if your situation needs specialist hospital care, we have a referral pathway to leading ophthalmologists, so you are pointed to the right expert quickly rather than left to navigate it alone.

The same applies to children. If you are worried about your child’s eyes, our paediatric experience means we can assess them gently and guide you on whether they need to be seen elsewhere.

If you would like to know more about how we work and what makes the practice different, you can read more here.

How to lower your risk of eye injuries

Many eye emergencies are sudden and unavoidable, but some are not. A few habits make a real difference.

• Wear proper eye protection for DIY, gardening, grinding, and using power tools or strong chemicals.
• Use sports goggles or protective eyewear for racquet sports, cycling and contact sports, where flying objects and knocks are common.
• Handle cleaning products and garden chemicals carefully, and keep them well away from children.
• Look after your contact lenses properly, wash your hands before handling them, and never sleep in lenses that are not designed for it.
• Keep up with regular eye examinations, which can catch quiet problems like raised eye pressure or early retinal changes before they become urgent.

Frequently asked questions

Is sudden blurry vision always an emergency?

Not always, but sudden vision changes should never be ignored. A sudden loss or marked blurring of vision, especially in one eye, needs urgent assessment. If it comes on gradually over weeks, it is more likely a change in your prescription or an eye condition that an optometrist can check. When in doubt, get advice the same day.

Are flashes and floaters an emergency?

A few floaters that have been there for years are usually harmless. A sudden increase in floaters, a shower of new ones, flashing lights, or a shadow or curtain across your vision can be a sign of a retinal tear or detachment, which is urgent. Contact an optometrist straight away, or go to the eye casualty if you cannot reach one.

What number do I call for an eye emergency in the UK?

For a serious emergency, call 999 or go to your nearest A&E or eye casualty. For urgent advice when you are unsure, call NHS 111, which can also point you to the free Community Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES) where it runs in your area. During our opening hours, you can also call us on 020 7586 5508, and we will help you find the right next step.

I got something in my eye. Should I go to the hospital?

If it is a small piece of grit or an eyelash, try blinking or gently rinsing with clean water or saline. If it does not come out, if it is embedded, or if it follows a high-speed activity like grinding or hammering, do not rub the eye and seek medical help, as something may be lodged in or have penetrated the eye.

Can I drive myself to A&E with an eye problem?

It is best not to. Sudden vision problems make driving unsafe, and hospitals often use drops that blur your vision for several hours. Ask someone to drive you, or call 999 for an ambulance if your symptoms are severe.