Eye health resource
When Is Eye Pain an Emergency?
Eye pain can have many causes. Learn which warning signs need prompt evaluation, what to do after chemical exposure, and when to seek emergency eye care.
Reviewed for accuracy by Justin Bazan, OD on .
Eye pain can come from something relatively minor, such as surface irritation, but it can also be a warning sign of a condition that needs urgent treatment. The severity of the pain alone does not always tell you how serious the cause is.
Sudden vision loss or major vision change, severe pain, chemical injury, penetrating trauma, an embedded foreign body, or severe pain with nausea/vomiting or halos around lights should be treated as urgent or emergency problems.
What Can Cause Eye Pain?
Possible causes include:
- Dry eye
- Corneal abrasion
- A foreign body
- Contact-lens complications
- Eye infection or keratitis
- Inflammation such as uveitis or scleritis
- Acute angle-closure glaucoma
- Injury or chemical exposure
- Optic-nerve or orbital conditions
Because these conditions can overlap in symptoms, an examination is often needed to identify the cause.
Warning Signs That Need Prompt Evaluation
Seek prompt medical attention for eye pain accompanied by any of the following:
- Sudden or significant change in vision
- Severe pain
- Marked light sensitivity
- Nausea or vomiting, especially with halos around lights
- Significant swelling around the eye
- Difficulty opening or moving the eye
- Blood in or around the eye after injury
- A painful red eye while wearing contact lenses
- Concern for an embedded or penetrating foreign body
- Chemical exposure
Ordinary conjunctivitis (“pink eye”) is not automatically an eye emergency. However, a red eye with significant pain, light sensitivity, or persistent blurred vision deserves medical evaluation because it may be something more serious than uncomplicated conjunctivitis.
Chemical Exposure: Rinse First
If a chemical splashes into the eye, start flushing immediately. Do not wait to call an office before beginning irrigation.
Mayo Clinic first-aid guidance recommends rinsing with clean, lukewarm tap water for at least 20 minutes. Remove contact lenses if they come out easily while rinsing, and seek emergency medical help.
Do not rub the eye or put other substances into it unless instructed by emergency medical personnel.
Foreign Bodies and Eye Injuries
A loose eyelash or superficial speck of dust may rinse out with clean water or sterile saline. Do not dig at the eye with tweezers, fingernails, cotton swabs, or another object.
If an object appears embedded, if the eye was struck by metal, glass, or high-velocity debris, or if there is concern for penetrating injury, do not attempt to remove the object yourself. Seek emergency evaluation.
Contact Lenses and Eye Pain
A contact lens wearer with a painful, red, light-sensitive eye should remove the lenses and seek prompt evaluation. Contact-lens-related corneal infection can progress quickly and should not be treated as routine irritation without an examination.
What If It Is Urgent but Not a True Emergency?
For an urgent but non-emergency eye concern, Park Slope Eye prefers email for routine communication. If the concern is time-sensitive, calling as well may be appropriate. Email is not monitored continuously.
Our Urgent & Emergency Eye Guidance explains the current local emergency-care option and when not to wait for a routine Park Slope Eye appointment.
Routine Eye Pain Still Deserves an Explanation
Mild discomfort that persists, keeps recurring, or is associated with redness, dryness, headaches, contact-lens problems, or vision changes should still be evaluated. A comprehensive eye exam or medical eye visit can help determine whether the cause is surface irritation, prescription, inflammation, infection, or another eye-health problem.
Originally published . Substantially updated .