Not sure if you should go and see an eye doctor for a black eye? What about a chemical burn? In our article this week, our optometrist in SE Calgary lists off some of the more common eye injuries people suffer and explains what you should do if you're on the receiving end of one.
It can be extremely frightening when you suffer an eye injury, especially if your vision has been affected. Like most things in life, we generally take our eye health and vision for granted. Not till we lose it or feel we're at risk of losing it do we start to appreciate the biological marvel our eyes truly are. One of the most common ways for us to have this put into perspective is when we suffer an eye injury. Whether it be an impact, chemical burn, or foreign object in the eye, eye injuries can be truly scary. But should you go to the ER, your eye doctor, or neither? Let's find out.
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After suffering an eye injury, you may immediately think that you need to go to the ER to have it looked at or addressed. But many people don't know their Calgary optometrist is more than qualified and prepared to deal with what we would imagine are emergent eye issues. With that being said, if your eye is bleeding heavily or something has pierced it, you should certainly head to your nearest emergency room right away. And if you're ever in doubt, you can always call 911 and they should be able to tell you what you need to do. As always, it's better to be safe than sorry.
But there are certainly a few instances where your Calgary optometrist is your best course of treatment for an eye injury. Let's take a closer look at some of them.
Should you end up getting a chemical in your eye such as a household cleaning product then your first step should be to rinse your eye out as much as you can with water. After that, you should certainly make a trip to your Calgary optometrist. They will be able to assess the damage that's been caused and provide you with the proper medication to help heal your eye and prevent it from getting infected.
As mentioned earlier, should you have something pierce your eyeball or be bleeding heavily from it, then the ER is where you should be going. But if you have something smaller stuck in your eye such as a metal filing, tiny piece of wood, or something unknown, then your Calgary optometrist can easily and quickly remove it for you once you stop by their eye clinic.
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If you have suffered a scratch to your eye from playing sports, your baby's sharp fingernails, or some other way, then a trip to your optometrist will be worth your while. These types of eye injuries generally heal well on their own, but your eye doctor can make sure the damage isn't very serious and prescribe you medication to help with your pain and prevent infection.
If you've been punched in the eye or been hit in the eye with a ball or object, you should visit your Calgary eye doctor to make sure your retina is still ok. These eye injuries usually just result in bruising and swelling, but it doesn't hurt to have your retina checked by your optometrist to ensure it hasn't been seriously damaged. A hard enough impact to your eye can detach your retina, which may result in permanent vision loss.
Should you ever be concerned about your eye health after suffering an injury to it, just call your favourite Calgary eye clinic. They'll be able to let you know if you require further treatment and if they can provide the care you need, or if an on-call specialist such as an ophthalmologist is needed to help you.
Most of the situations described above are fully covered by Alberta Health Care as the treatments for them are classified as medically necessary/urgent care. Your optometrist will have the discretion to determine if your eye injury meets this criteria, but most will classify it as such. If you're worried about getting treatment and the cost associated with doing so, just call your eye clinic to confirm your appointment will be covered.
If you need an eye exam Calgary or require advanced eye care, My Optometrist Calgary has you covered. Contact one of our My Optometrist Calgary clinics at either 403-256-0606 (Health First Optometry), 403-291-0923 (Sunridge Vision Centre), or 403-443-2040 (Three Hills Optometry).
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