treatment of sore red eyes

Wetaskiwin Optometrists

Red, Pink or Sore Eyes?

We specialize in eye problems and often receive referrals from family doctors in the area and the Emergency Room in Wetaskiwin.

  • sore, red, or itchy eyes
  • treatment of “pink eye” and other bacterial infections
  • removal of foreign bodies from the eye (such as wood or metal)
  • treatment of eye allergies or burns
  • emergency eye care
  • post-surgical follow-up

We specialize in eye problems and often receive referrals from family doctors in the area and the Emergency Room in Wetaskiwin.

Eye Emergencies

We are always willing to help, should you ever experience an eye emergency. Our office provides emergency services for eye infections, eye injuries and other eye urgencies. State of the art equipment allows us to examine the front surface of the eye and we can also digitally scan inside the eye for infection or damage. We deal with many eye emergencies such as:

  • Eye infections
  • Foreign materials stuck in the eye
  • Eye trauma
  • Scratched eyes
  • Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes
  • Lost or broken contact lenses in the eye
  • Flashes of light in the vision
  • Sudden or new floaters in the vision
  • Red or painful eyes

Studies have shown that an overwhelming number of emergency room visits could have been treated by an optometrist. These ranged from foreign bodies in the eye to severe eye allergies and eye infections. It is not always necessary to go to an emergency room for eye emergencies. Optometrists are equipped to treat most eye emergencies.

We understand the importance of eye care when you encounter symptoms such as those listed above. These are signs that an immediate evaluation or consultation is necessary – please Call us right away if you are experiencing an eye emergency of any kind.

Foreign Bodies

A foreign body is something such as an eyelash, sawdust, sand, or dirt can that gets into the eyes. The main symptom is irritation or pain. Depending on what it is and how the injury happened, the foreign body may pierce the eye and cause serious injury, or it may simply go away with no long-term problem.

If not removed, a foreign body can cause infection.

If anything is stuck in your eye for more than a couple of hours, you must immediately cease all attempts to remove it yourself. Keep in mind that the eyes are an extremely delicate organ and any attempts to try anything extraordinary can only have negative and adverse results. Call us right away.

How Can an Eye Doctor Help?

If there is a foreign body in your eye, such as a piece of grit, your eye doctor will try and remove it. Anesthetic eye drops will be inserted in your eye first, in order to numb it and prevent any pain. We use a high-powered microscope find the location of the foreign body.

The foreign body could be stuck underneath your upper eyelid, especially if you can feel something there, or you have scratches (abrasions) on the top half of the transparent outer layer of your eye (cornea). If this is the case, it may be necessary to gently turn your eyelid inside out in order to remove the foreign body.

Once the anesthetic eye drops have worn off, your eye may feel a bit uncomfortable until your abrasion heals.

Eye Emergencies can cause permanent damage to your eye or vision loss. Get them dealt with as soon as possible. Doing nothing can lead to loss of vision, premature cataracts and damage to the retina so do not take any chances, delay is dangerous.