What Constitutes an Eye Emergency During COVID-19?

It can be tough knowing if what you’re going through or what you’re currently experiencing with your vision or eyes constitutes an “eye emergency”. With all optometrists mandated to close their offices except for urgent, critical, or emergency care, many people have reached out to us to better understand what sort of things fall under those umbrellas. With that in mind, our Calgary emergency eye doctor has put together this article to better explain the current eye care landscape.

Do you need eye emergency help Calgary? The team at My Optometrist Calgary is still here to help during COVID-19.

Helping You See Through COVID-19

Emergency eye care during COVID-19: What happens if something is wrong with my eyes during COVID-19?

“Essential Services” – Optometry offices providing urgent, critical and emergency care are one of the listed health professions that are exempt from mandatory closure.

Optometry offices may remain open for the provision of urgent, critical and emergency care to patients, but should not provide routine or non-essential care services.

The eye doctors at My Optometrist are well trained to address many eye emergencies. But what happens during the restrictions created by COVID-19?

In order to answer this question, we must first determine what sort of vision issues or problems qualify as an eye emergency. They include:

• Sudden loss of vision in either eye or part of your vision
• Flashes of light, or new and persistent presentation of floaters (little specks or cobwebs that float around in your field of vision)
• Extreme light sensitivity along with significant eye pain
• Red eye with discharge, painful eye
• Injury to the eye, or foreign body in the eye

Normally, our frontline staff are trained to triage your emergency and facilitate your access to an emergency exam with our Calgary emergency eye doctor on the same day for these high flagged emergencies. However, given the restrictions to on-site access during COVID-19, we have to follow a careful review of each case by our on-call team. Here is what you can expect:

• First, be sure to contact our office if you should experience any of the above issues, or even if it is some other concerning symptom
• Our team will collect your initial symptoms and quickly relay your status to the on-call Calgary emergency eye doctor to discuss your case
• The doctor may further discuss your details and be able to provide advice
• The doctor may determine that the condition needs to be seen in our clinic, with appropriate review of your health and COVID-19 symptom review, to determine the safety risk to the general public
• The doctor may be able to offer a telemedicine consult for some cases

Do you need eye emergency help Calgary? The team at My Optometrist Calgary is still here to help during COVID-19.

Helping You See Through COVID-19

How can optometry help provide essential services?

 
With each eye emergency we can take care of safely, and keep people from waiting unnecessarily in hospital emergency rooms, we in turn keep space open for COVID treatment, and reduce exposure.

Case Report: A case we took care of during the first week following the closure of basic services included a patient observing a very large, persistent floater and flashes. We assessed this individual with dilation and imaging of the retinas. It was confirmed that there was a retinal tear. This in turn required referral to a retina surgeon, which was taken care of the next day.

What happens if I lose or break my glasses and cannot function?

Our clinic will review your file history to determine the status of your vision prescription. Emergency eyeglass care can be provided by our Calgary emergency eye doctor if your vision is limited and affecting your daily or work functioning. Careful examination with limited frame selection can be provided on a per case basis.

What happens if I am due for an eye exam, my glasses need repairing, or I need more contact lenses?

• Optometry clinics cannot provide primary vision examinations until the COVID-19 service ban has been lifted. We would be happy to put you on a recall list to get you in as soon as possible once full service resumes.
• Contact lens prescription history can be reviewed by your Calgary virtual eye doctor and prescription refills provided and ordered, often with direct delivery, until we are able to return to full examination service.
• Our South Calgary and Three Hills clinics can arrange on-site repairs by appointment.

Our Health First Optometry clinic remains open Monday to Friday 10am – 2pm to see eye emergencies. We can also take care of glasses, contacts and eye product orders by appointment and over the phone.

Our phone and email is checked routinely to take care of our Sunridge Vision Center patients. On-call emergencies and glasses, contacts and product orders will be taken care of at Health First Optometry.

Three Hills Optometry continues to offer on-call services Monday to Friday, with glasses, contacts and eye product orders by appointment and over the phone Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday 10am – 2pm.

Call Us Today

If you need immediate assistance or eye emergency help Calgary, contact our clinics at 403-256-0606 (Health First Optometry), 403-291-0923 (Sunridge Vision Centre), or 403-443-2040 (Three Hills Optometry).