Parents know that eye injuries can happen, well, in the blink of an eye. As an eye doctor, I’ve seen firsthand how an innocent toy or a simple walk to story time can result in an unexpected eye injury.

One misconception many parents have – especially new parents – is that they should go to the ER for every injury. The problem right now is that ERs may be flooded with Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients and doctors and healthcare professionals are already spread pretty thin. Parents might also be hesitant to take their kids to the ER if it means potential exposure to the virus.

Avoid The ER. Call Your Eye-Doctor First!

Some common eye emergency situations are easily identifiable, such as getting hit in the eye, a chemical burn, or the sudden onset of blurry or lost vision. But what about situations that are less obvious?

Did you know lost or broken eyewear or a low supply of contact lenses could constitute as an ‘essential’ or urgent eye care need? There could also be a very serious underlying emergency if your child has a headache and is having issues reading or seeing properly.

For example, I recently had a mother of a nine-year-old reach out to me who noticed that her daughter consistently had headaches and was experiencing issues with reading and learning. Many parents understandably would be concerned to approach an eye doctor for help during a health pandemic, but for this family it made the world of a difference.

After testing, it was discovered that her daughter has Convergence Insufficiency — a common binocular vision disorder that involves misalignment of the eyes when focusing on nearby objects. This can lead to eyestrain, migraines, and can interfere with a person’s ability to see, read and learn. In this case, we were able to identify the problem early and refer the child to vision therapy to help strengthen her muscles.

When in doubt, it’s always best to reach out to your eye doctor to discuss any vision-related issues that your child may be facing.

What To Do In An Eye-Related Emergency?

If you are experiencing these vision related symptoms, you should contact your eye doctor immediately to determine if you require further assistance. As hospitals struggle to keep up with the ongoing surge in patients from COVID-19, eye doctors are frontline providers of essential eye care, helping reduce the number of people going to an emergency room or hospital for emergency eye care needs. In fact, the American Optometric Association estimates that eye doctors can divert up to 10 percent of patients away from ERs and hospitals.

If you are unable to contact your eye doctor, there are other ways you can reach out for help. For example, you can call VSP’s customer care at 800-877-7195 to locate an eye doctor who can assist.

It’s not an easy time for anyone, especially when you have little ones to take care of. Just remember you are doing your best. Stay safe and take care of your families. We are there for you and together we will get through this.