Going home after your visit
Eye injury — advice after your visit
How to look after your eye, and the signs that need urgent eye assessment.
You have had an eye injury. Here is how to look after your eye and the signs that need urgent eye assessment. If a chemical splashed into your eye, rinse it now (see below).
Your care details
To be completed by the team before you leave.
this Emergency Department your nearest A&E other:
none needed
Call 999 or go straight to an eye casualty now
These are sight-threatening and need immediate assessment.
- A chemical splash — rinse continuously with clean water for at least 20 minutes, starting now
- A cut to the eyeball, blood inside the eye, or the pupil looks an odd shape
- Something stuck in the eye — do not try to remove it, and do not press on the eye
- Sudden loss of vision, or you cannot open or move the eye
- An injury from metal, grinding, hammering or a fast-moving particle
CALL 999 Do not drive yourself. Cover the eye lightly with a shield or a cup taped over it — never a pad pressed onto it — and do not eat or drink in case an operation is needed.
Get same-day reassessment if any of these happen
Go to the ED or the eye service named above the same day.
- New floaters, flashes of light, or a ‘curtain’ across your sight
- Double vision, or any other change in your vision
- Severe pain, or strong sensitivity to light
- Pus or thick discharge from the eye
- A black eye where the swelling is increasing, or you cannot see past it
- The eye is not settling as expected
Floaters, flashes or a shadow across your vision can mean the retina is detaching — this is treatable, but only if it is caught quickly.
Caring for your eye
- Use any drops or ointment exactly as you were given.
- Do not rub the eye, or try to dig out anything stuck in it.
- Rest the eye, and wear sunglasses if light hurts.
- Do not wear contact lenses until the eye is fully healed.
- Do not drive while your vision is blurred, or you have a pad on.
- Take paracetamol or ibuprofen for pain if you can take them.
If a chemical got in your eye
Rinse the eye straight away with plenty of clean water or saline for at least 20 minutes, holding the lids open. Then go to A&E or an eye casualty immediately — do not wait to see if it settles. Take the bottle or container with you so staff know what the chemical was.
Where to get help
999
Life-threatening emergency, or a severe breathing or circulation problem
ED / urgent service
A warning sign above that needs same-day reassessment
111
Urgent advice when it is not life-threatening, or you are unsure — call or visit 111.nhs.uk, 24/7
Your team / GP
Use the number and follow-up plan in Your care details above