Urgent eye care
If something feels wrong with your eye or vision, do not wait and hope it resolves. Many urgent eye problems are treatable, but timing matters. This page explains when to contact our office, what we can assess, and when to go straight to the emergency department.
Go to the emergency department now if you have
- Sudden vision loss, whether or not it hurts
- Severe eye pain with nausea or vomiting
- Major eye injury or chemical exposure
- A new shadow or curtain in your vision
- Significant swelling around the eye with fever
If you are unsure, err on the side of safety.
Before you call: chemicals and foreign bodies
Chemical splash. Start flushing immediately with clean water or saline and keep going for at least 15 minutes. Do this before you phone anyone — the first few minutes matter more than the call does. Hold the eyelids open and let the water run across the eye from the inner corner outward. Then go to the nearest emergency department, and bring the product name if you can.
Something stuck in the 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, and do not press on it. Cover the eye without putting pressure on it and go to an emergency department. A loose eyelash or gritty foreign body sensation that will not settle is different: call us for that one.
Contact our office the same day if you have
- 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 inability to tolerate your lenses
Call us so we can recommend the right next step and timing. If we cannot see you quickly enough, we will tell you where to go.
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
If your eye is red or painful and you wear contact lenses, lead with that. A red painful eye in a contact lens wearer is treated as a different problem than the same eye in someone who does not wear lenses, and it changes how quickly you need to be seen. Mention it even if you had already taken the lenses out.
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 rather than waiting for us to open. If you are unsure whether your symptoms need urgent care, Health811 (formerly Telehealth Ontario) offers free nurse advice 24/7 at 1-866-797-0000.
What we can assess
Urgent visits focus on the problem in front of us: what is causing symptoms, whether the eye is at risk, and what should happen next. Depending on findings, we may recommend imaging or additional diagnostics to support clinical decisions.
Recommended testing is based on clinical judgment and the information needed to provide appropriate care. Applicable fees are explained upfront.
What to bring
- Your health card (if applicable)
- Any glasses or contact lenses you are currently using
- Details on symptoms (when it started, what changed, any injury or exposure)
- A list of current medications
What to do next
If you are experiencing urgent symptoms, contact our office now. If you prefer to book online, choose the earliest available time and include a short note about your symptoms.
For deeper symptom-by-symptom explanations, read the urgent eye problems FAQ.
Related pages
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