Foreign objects or stabbing pains in your eye? Don’t wait!
Eye Emergencies in Richland
Experiencing a stab of pain in your eye?
Sudden changes in vision? Images appearing faded, blurry or foggy?
Got chemicals or another foreign object or substance in your eye?
Come visit Richland Eye Care, PLLC for emergency eye care.
Our Richland optometrists can help you preserve your vision and eye health.
We understand that accidents happen.
Our optometrists know exactly what to do to help you through your eye care emergency.
Whether it’s a workplace accident, an at-home incident, or some other emergency requiring immediate attention, we’re here to help you preserve your eye health and sight!
What To Do If You Have an Eye Emergency
First things first. Don’t panic! Staying calm is the best way to help you think straight and help those around you to remain calm. Often, it’s not necessary to go to an emergency room for eye emergencies. In fact, the vast majority of people who go to the emergency room for eye care could have received treatment from their local optometrist instead.
If you’re unsure whether you’re experiencing an eye emergency, give us a call immediately! Delay may increase the risk of serious complications and may result in vision loss.
Until you see your eye doctor or seek urgent care, avoid the following:
- Don’t try to remove an embedded object out of your eye
- If your eye is injured, don’t press on it or rub it
- Dry cotton and sharp instruments such as tweezers should never be used on the eye.
Whether you’ve had a workplace accident or an at-home incident, our eye doctors are here to help
Eye Emergencies FAQs
Eye emergencies are anything that may cause permanent damage to your eyes or vision without timely intervention from an eye care professional.
The most common types of eye emergencies include:
- A blow, poke or other trauma to the eye
- Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes
- Chemical spills in the eye
- Foreign object embedded in the eye
- Sudden appearance of light flashes or floaters
- Contact lens lost in the eye
Symptoms of an eye infection typically include itching, burning, redness, crusty and watery eyes. See a Richland eye doctor if your symptoms last over 4 days or if you experience intense pain, redness, blurred vision or light sensitivity.
Most of the time, a person can easily remove debris from the eye by repeatedly blinking to get the debris out. If that doesn’t work, you can wash your eye with saline (sterile salt water) to flush out any dust and dirt from your eye, or use streaming tap water.
However, you may scratch your cornea while attempting to get an object out which can cause further sight-threatening complications.
So the best thing you can do in this kind of eye emergency is to get to your eye doctor in Richland as soon as possible.
Meet our Eye Emergencies Doctors
Kevin Flynn O.D.
Dana Hawkins O.D.
Patient Reviews
5
321 Reviews
Tom H. - Apr 16, 2026
Always very friendly staff, and highly professional service. TOP MARKS!
Lisa W. - Apr 2, 2026
I’ve seen dozens of eye drs the past 38 yrs. Richland Eye Care is hands-down thee best! Dr. Kevin Fl... Show Moreynn is a master in his field. My greatest example is that for approximately 5 yrs, I struggled so badly with ghosted double vision and depth perception while driving, that I had to continually keep one eye closed in order to focus to drive. You can imagine how scary and stressful that would be. During that time, I brought my concerns to 3 different Optometrists, who gave me a basic eye exam and simply adjusted my nearsighted Rx (2 said it wasn’t strong enough and increased it; one actually said my Rx was too strong, so he decreased it). My conditioned worsened. Thanks to my vision insurance changing, I found myself at Dr. Flynn’s office in 2024. When I began explaining how I had to close one eye to focus and drive, his eyes kinda lit up, and he began asking me a series of questions no other provider had. All my answers were “yes!……that’s exactly what it’s like!…..” he pulled out a box of pretty prisms, held them up to my eyes, had me follow the letters on the chart……I FINALLY got my answer - I have Binocular Double Vision (my eyes don’t quite line-up to focus in unison) and it can easily be corrected by adding prism lenses! No other dr. took the time to do this simple test that’s now made a profound effect on my driving experience. Either their lack of knowledge in their field, or their lack of care for their patients’ well-being, caused me to suffer with this condition for years. Dr. Flynn corrected it immediately. He’s now the only eye dr. I trust with my eyes. Knowledgeable and patient, he doesn’t rush your visit; rather truly LISTENS and addresses your concerns. And, his office has an excellent staff. All are friendly & helpful. Lastly, I am extremely picky when it comes to eyeglass frames. I often have a very particular style, color or pattern I’m wanting. I’ve never had a problem finding a pair I love at Richland. They offer a wide variety of frames from timeless classics to bold & trendy. This is my newest pair I just picked up. These are WOOW designer frames, one of my favorite brands.
Urgent Eye Care in Richland
Have an eye emergency?
Protect your vision by contacting Richland Eye Care, PLLC in Richland without delay!