Please seek same-day eye assessment

Contact urgent care now if you have any of these:

• New change to vision — blurring, loss of vision, double vision, halos, flashes or a shadow
• Moderate or severe pain in or behind the eye
• Unusual sensitivity to light (ordinary indoor light hurts)
• Intense redness around the coloured part of the eye, with pain or headache
• Severe headache, nausea, unequal pupils, eye bulging, or fever with eyelid swelling
• Blisters, ulcers or a rash around the eye, forehead or scalp
• Anything struck the eye, or exposure to chemicals, glue, or bodily fluids
• Contact-lens wearer with pain, light sensitivity, blurred vision or a white spot on the eye

Where to go

• GP surgery — ask for a same-day appointment
• NHS 111 (UK) or local urgent-care line for guidance
• Nearest hospital eye casualty / eye emergency department
• A&E / Emergency Room if pain is severe, vision is affected, or a chemical entered the eye
• Your local optometrist — many offer same-day assessments for red or painful eyes

Chemical exposure — do this immediately

• Rinse the eye continuously with clean lukewarm water or saline for at least 15 minutes
• Do not delay to look up the chemical — call for help while rinsing
• Remove contact lenses only if they come out easily during rinsing