Eye Injuries: Check Your Symptoms

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When to See a Doctor

Have you been hit in the eye?

See significance of being hit in the eye if you need information to help you answer the questions below.

Review health risks that may increase the seriousness of your symptoms.

Call your health professional immediately if you answer "Yes" to any of the following questions.

Yes

Do you think something punctured your eye?

Yes

Does your eye not move normally in all directions?

Yes

Do you have severe pain?

Yes

Do you have double or blurred vision that does not clear with blinking?

Yes

Do you think the bones around your eye socket are broken?

Yes

Do you have blood in your eye that is:

• Over the colored part (iris) of the eye?
• Increasing after the initial injury?
• Causing swelling and pain?

Note:

If you have blood in your eye, do not use any aspirin products for your symptoms because aspirin products may cause more bleeding in your eye.

Yes

Can you see blood over the colored part (iris) of the eye when the injured person raises his or her head?

Yes

Do you have a change in the size or shape of your pupil?

Yes

Have you suddenly developed floaters?

Yes

Have you suddenly developed flashes of lights?

Yes

Do you have a headache, nausea, or vomiting?

Yes

Has your eye moved downward in its socket?

Call your health professional today if you answer "Yes" to any of the following questions.

Yes

Do you have mild to moderate pain in the eyeball that has not improved within 1 to 2 hours?

Yes

Do you have blood in the eye that covers more than one-quarter of the white part (sclera) of the eye?

Yes

Are your eyes sensitive to light (photophobia)?

You may wait to see if the symptoms improve over the next 24 hours (or specified time period) if you answer "Yes" to any of the following questions.

Yes

Have you had blood in less than one-quarter of the white of the eye longer than 2 to 3 days, but you do not have pain or a change in your vision?

Yes

Have you had mild to moderate pain in the area around the eye (not the eyeball) that is not getting better after 12 hours of home treatment?

If you have answered "No" to the above questions, go back to Check Your Symptoms and continue to answer the questions to evaluate your symptoms.

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Last updated:	December 13, 2005
Author:	Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC
Reviewed By:	William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine, Ian MacDonald, MDCM, FRCSC - Ophthalmology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Tracy Landauer