Eye injury

Choose the right healthcare service to get the care you need and to enable the NHS to help the greatest number of people.

 

GREEN Self-care or ask a pharmacist for advice

Minor eye injuries, such as shampoo or dust in your eye, often get better on their own within a day.

Eye care at home:

Do not use contact lenses

Wash eye with clean water if there’s something in it

Follow packaging advice if cosmetics or household products are in the eye

Take painkillers like paracetamol or ibuprofen to help ease pain or discomfort

Do not touch or rub your eye until it is better

Do not wear make-up around your eye until it is better

Do not wear contact lenses until your eye is better

Black eye:

Gently hold an ice pack (or bag of frozen peas wrapped in a cloth) to the area around the eye for 10-20 minutes; repeat regularly during the first one to two days

Take painkillers such as paracetamol or ibuprofen for any pain

After two days, gently apply a warm (not hot) heat pack or cloth to the area around the eye regularly during the day

Do not take aspirin, unless prescribed by a doctor

Do not press or rub the area around your eye

Do not put ice directly on your skin

Red eye:

Do not touch or rub your eye

Do not wear contact lenses

Ask a pharmacist:

  • about home eye treatments, such as cleaning solutions, eyedrops or medicines
  • if you need to see a GP

AMBER It is urgent but not life threatening

 

Severe pain or swelling

Headache that does not go away, or blurry vision

Area around eye is warm or leaking pus

Temperature is very high, or feeling hot and shivery

Taking blood-thinning medicine (such as warfarin)

Have a bleeding disorder (such as haemophilia)

Injured eye not improving after 24 hours

Worried about an eye injury

Black eye does not go away within three weeks

Red eye is painful and contact lenses are worn

Red eye for more than a few days

Corneal injury

Do not use contact lenses.

Call 111 or visit 111.nhs.uk

OR

Go to an Urgent Treatment Centre at:

  • Mary’s Community Health Campus, Portsmouth
  • Gosport War Memorial Hospital
  • Petersfield Hospital

OR

Contact a GP Practice

OR

Ask an optician for advice

RED It is a life-threatening medical emergency

Something has hit the eye at high speed

Changes to sight after an eye injury

Headache, high temperature, sensitivity to light after eye injury

Feeling or being sick after an eye injury

Cannot move eye or keep it open

Blood or pus coming out of eye

Do not use contact lenses

Self-refer for triage, call 023 9228 6162

OR

Go straight to Emergency Department, Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham, or call 999. Do not self-drive.

A strong chemical is in the eye i.e. bleach or oven cleaner:

Self-refer for triage, call 023 9228 6162

OR

Go straight to Emergency Department, Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham, or call 999. Do not drive.

Eye first aid while waiting for medical help:

  • rinse eye with fresh clean water (not hot) from a tap, shower, or bottled water
  • hold eye open
  • run lots of water over the eyeball for at least 20 minutes
  • make sure the flow of water is not too strong

A sharp object has pierced the eye:

Do not try to remove an object that’s pierced the eye

Black eye and:

  • blood visible in the eye
  • irregularly shaped pupil
  • a blow to the head and bruising around both eyes
  • problems with double vision, loss of vision, seeing flashing light, halos or shadows, or pain when looking at a bright light
  • cannot move eye

Red eye and:

  • changes to sight, like wavy lines, flashing or loss of vision
  • hurts to look at light
  • severe headaches and feeling sick
  • eye or eyes are dark red
  • one pupil is larger than the other
  • something is stuck in the eye i.e. glass or grit

Self-refer for triage, call 023 9228 6162

OR

Go to Emergency Department, Queen Alexandra Hospital, Cosham, or call 999. Do not drive.