Symptoms that require immediate attention include:
- Acute loss of vision
- Sudden, painless, severe loss of vision
- Chemical burns: alkali, acid, or organic solvents
- Very red swollen and tender eyelids
- Injury or foreign body in the eye
- Acute, rapid onset of eye pain or discomfort
Other conditions, which are not as urgent but still require attention by a specialist, include:
- Subacute loss of vision that has evolved gradually over a period of a few days to a week
- Sudden onset of diplopia or other distorted vision
- Recent onset of light flashes and floaters
- Blunt trauma, such as a bump to the eye, that is not associated with vision loss or persistent pain and where penetration of the eye is not likely
- Double vision that has persisted for less than a week
- Photophobia (sensitivity to light)
- Progressively worsening ocular pain
- One or both eyes turning in, out, up or down
- Tearing, redness or discharge that lasts for a number of days
- A baby’s eyes that seem to move continuously or do not appear to look directly at someone
- One pupil that appears larger than the other
- A white spot in the center of the eye
Parents should be attuned to signs of potential visual problems in children aged two to six:
- Covering one eye when looking at a book or object
- Complaining of headaches that seem related to vision
- Asking to sit closer to the blackboard at school
- Sitting too close to the television
- Squinting or rubbing eyes excessively
- Difficulty catching a ball
- Not wanting to look at books
- Discomfort after prolonged use of the eyes
- Mild ocular irritation, itching, burning
- Tearing in the absence of other symptoms
- Lid twitching or fluttering
- Mucous discharge from the eye
- Mild redness of the eye not accompanied by other symptoms
- Persistent and unchanged floaters whose cause has been previously determined
Should you notice any of these symptoms, please call us to make an appointment.
