Go to an emergency department now
Do not call us first for any of these. Go:
- sudden vision loss, whether or not it hurts
- a new dark curtain or shadow moving across your vision
- severe eye pain with nausea or vomiting
- major eye injury, or anything that may have penetrated the eye
- a chemical splash (flush first — see below)
- significant swelling around the eye with fever
If you are unsure, err on the side of safety. Nobody at an emergency department will be annoyed that you came in about your eye.
Chemical splash: flush first, phone second
Start flushing immediately with clean water or saline, and keep going for at least 15 minutes. Do this before you call anyone — the first few minutes matter more than the phone call does. Hold your eyelids open and let the water run across the eye from the inner corner outward.
Then go to the nearest emergency department. Bring the container or the product name if you can grab it on the way.
Something stuck in your eye
Do not rub it. Rubbing is what turns a surface scratch into a real injury.
Do not try to remove anything embedded in the eye itself. If an object is stuck in the eye or the eye may have been penetrated, don’t press on it and don’t try to pull it out — cover the eye without putting any pressure on it and go to an emergency department.
For a loose eyelash, a speck of dust, or a gritty feeling that will not settle, call us. That one we can usually handle here.
Call us the same day for
- new flashes of light, or a sudden increase in floaters
- red eye with pain, light sensitivity, or blurry vision
- sudden onset of double vision
- foreign body sensation that does not improve
- new contact lens pain, or suddenly not being able to tolerate your lenses
Wearing contacts? Say so when you call
If your eye is red or painful and you wear contact lenses, tell us that first. A red painful eye in a contact lens wearer is treated as a different problem than the same eye in someone who doesn’t wear lenses — it moves you up the list. Mention it even if you think it’s unrelated, and mention it even if you’d taken the lenses out before the symptoms started.
What to have ready when you call
- what you are feeling — pain, vision change, redness, light sensitivity
- which eye, or both
- when it started, and whether it is getting worse
- whether you were wearing contact lenses when it started
- any injury, chemical, or foreign material involved
Can you see me today?
Sometimes, depending on the day. We would rather be honest than promise a slot we don’t have.
Call or text the office rather than showing up — staff can see the whole schedule, including openings that come up from cancellations, and they will make room where they can. If we cannot see you fast enough for what you are describing, we will say so and tell you where to go instead.
After hours, weekends, and holidays
We are open Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm, and we do not offer after-hours or weekend service. Our holiday hours are posted at the bottom of every page.
If something sight-threatening happens outside our hours, go to the nearest hospital emergency department — don’t wait for us to open.
If you’re not sure whether what you’re experiencing needs urgent care, Health811 (formerly Telehealth Ontario) gives free nurse advice 24/7 at 1-866-797-0000.
If you need a specialist
We image the eye here. OCT and retinal photography are part of how we work up an urgent problem, and they are often what identifies the thing that needs a specialist in the first place.
What sends you to a hospital is needing something no clinic has: a CT or MRI, intravenous medication, urgent surgery, or admission. When that’s the case, we assess what we can, refer you to the right ophthalmology service or emergency department, and send along our findings so you are not starting from scratch when you arrive.
Related pages
- Floaters and flashes – when to worry – what causes floaters and when they need urgent assessment
- Urgent eye care – what we assess and what to bring
- Do I need an appointment? – how walk-ins and urgent problems are handled
- Office hours and holiday hours
- How to get to Spadina Optometry
Not sure if this is urgent?
If you are having sudden changes, pain, flashes or floaters, or a new red eye, call or text us and describe what is happening. Staff can tell you whether to come here or go straight to an emergency department.
Prefer to talk first? Call or text us at 416-703-2797.
Spadina Optometry has cared for downtown Toronto patients since 2002 — an independent practice where the same team knows your eyes year after year.
Last reviewed: July 17, 2026