What to do if…
you hit your eye and now have worsening pain or blurred vision

What to do now

1. Get emergency care now if vision is blurry or the pain is worsening. Go to an emergency department if you have blurred or decreased vision, severe or worsening pain, double vision, new flashes or floaters, a shadow or curtain in your vision, blood in the eye, a pupil that looks uneven or oddly shaped, nausea, vomiting, a significant headache, trouble opening or moving the eye, or a high-speed impact from a ball, tool, flying object, or lawn equipment.
2. Call 911 if travel is not safe. Call if you cannot see well enough to travel safely, you are alone without safe transport, you feel faint or very unwell, or you think the eye may have been cut or penetrated.
3. Protect the eye while you are getting help. Keep activity low. If there may be an embedded object, or you are worried about bumping the eye, loosely shield it with a rigid cover such as a clean paper cup taped to the bones around the eye, not pressed onto the eyelid or eyeball.
4. Use cold gently only if there is no cut or embedded object. For a simple blow with swelling, you can hold a cool compress near the eye for comfort, but do not press on the eye.
5. Do not delay care because of contact lenses. If rapid swelling is starting and a contact lens comes out easily, remove it. If it is painful, stuck, or hard to remove, leave it alone and tell the clinician that you are wearing contacts.
6. Do not use numbing drops. Numbing drops can hide worsening symptoms and should only be used when a clinician gives them or specifically instructs you to use them.
7. Bring the key details. Tell the clinician when the injury happened, what hit your eye, whether it was high-speed, whether vision changed, and whether you have light sensitivity, double vision, new flashes, new floaters, blood in the eye, nausea, or worsening pain. Bring your medication list, contact lens details, and any eye prescriptions if they are easy to grab.