Call our north Fort Worth office for guidance on new eye symptoms and appointment availability near Keller.
Eye symptoms can change quickly. A red eye, sudden blurry vision, eye pain, new flashes or floaters, light sensitivity, discharge, or a foreign body sensation may need more than a routine eye exam.
At True Eye Center of Keller, Dr. Shabree Nichols Caleb and our team provide urgent eye care and same-day eye exam guidance for patients in Keller, North Fort Worth, Southlake, Colleyville, Alliance, and surrounding North Texas communities. We evaluate uncomfortable or concerning eye symptoms and help determine the next appropriate step for your care.
If you are experiencing sudden vision loss, severe eye trauma, a chemical injury, or symptoms that may be life-threatening, seek emergency medical care immediately.
When Should You Schedule Urgent Eye Care?
You should call for urgent eye care when you notice sudden, painful, unusual, or worsening eye symptoms. Some eye conditions are minor, but others can affect your vision if care is delayed.
Urgent eye care may be appropriate for:
- Eye pain
- Red eyes
- Sudden blurry vision
- Light sensitivity
- Eye discharge
- Swollen eyelids
- Eye infections
- Foreign body sensation
- Scratched eye or corneal abrasion symptoms
- Contact lens-related irritation
- Flashes of light
- New or increased floaters
- Sudden changes in vision
- Eye injury
- Chemical exposure
- Something stuck in the eye
- Sudden double vision
- A curtain, shadow, or dark area in your vision
If you are unsure whether your symptoms are urgent, call the office. Our team can help determine whether you should be seen promptly, scheduled for the next available appointment, or directed to emergency care.
Same-Day Eye Exams for Concerning Symptoms
Same-day eye exams may be available for patients with urgent eye concerns. Availability depends on the schedule and the severity of your symptoms.
A same-day eye exam may help evaluate:
- Redness
- Pain
- Sudden irritation
- Possible infection
- Contact lens discomfort
- Light sensitivity
- Watery or burning eyes
- New floaters or flashes
- Sudden blurry vision
- Minor eye injuries
- Foreign body sensation
When you call, explain your symptoms clearly, including when they started, whether one or both eyes are affected, whether your vision has changed, and whether you wear contact lenses.
Eye Pain
Eye pain should not be ignored, especially if it is sudden, severe, or paired with redness, blurry vision, nausea, headache, halos around lights, light sensitivity, or an injury.
Eye pain may be related to:
- Corneal abrasion
- Eye infection
- Inflammation
- Dry eye
- Foreign body
- Contact lens complications
- Eye pressure concerns
- Trauma
- Other medical eye conditions
Because eye pain can have many causes, an exam is the safest way to determine what may be happening.
Red Eye and Eye Infections
A red eye may be caused by dryness, allergies, irritation, infection, inflammation, contact lens wear, or another eye health concern. While some red eyes are mild, others need prompt evaluation.
You should schedule urgent eye care if redness is accompanied by:
- Eye pain
- Light sensitivity
- Discharge
- Blurry vision
- Swelling
- Contact lens wear
- Recent injury
- Symptoms in only one eye
- Symptoms that are worsening
- Symptoms that do not improve
If you wear contact lenses and develop redness, pain, discharge, or light sensitivity, remove your lenses and call the office for guidance.
Flashes, Floaters, and Sudden Vision Changes
New flashes or a sudden increase in floaters should be evaluated promptly, especially if they appear with blurry vision, vision loss, or a shadow or curtain in your side vision.
Flashes and floaters can sometimes occur with normal age-related changes, but they may also be associated with retinal tears or retinal detachment. Because those conditions can be vision-threatening, sudden symptoms should not be ignored.
Call right away if you notice:
- A sudden shower of floaters
- New flashes of light
- A dark curtain or shadow in your vision
- Sudden loss of side vision
- Sudden blurry or distorted vision
- Vision loss in one eye
If symptoms are severe, sudden, or worsening, seek emergency care immediately.
Foreign Body Sensation or Something in the Eye
A gritty, scratchy, or foreign body feeling can happen when something is stuck on the surface of the eye or when the cornea has been scratched.
Do not rub the eye. Rubbing can make irritation worse or cause additional damage.
Urgent evaluation may be needed if:
- You feel something stuck in the eye
- Pain continues after rinsing
- Vision is blurry
- The eye is red or watering
- You are sensitive to light
- You work around metal, wood, chemicals, or debris
- You wear contact lenses
- You had an injury while working, playing sports, or doing yard work
If a sharp object has entered or punctured the eye, do not try to remove it. Seek emergency medical care immediately.
Contact Lens-Related Eye Problems
Contact lenses can increase the risk of certain eye problems, especially when lenses are worn too long, slept in, cleaned improperly, or used while the eyes are irritated.
Call for urgent eye care if you wear contacts and experience:
- Redness
- Eye pain
- Light sensitivity
- Discharge
- Blurry vision
- Swelling
- A white spot on the eye
- Sudden discomfort
- Trouble keeping lenses in
- Symptoms that do not improve after removing lenses
Remove your contacts and wear glasses until your eyes have been evaluated.
Eye Injuries
Eye injuries should be taken seriously. Even when the surface looks normal, trauma can affect the cornea, retina, eye pressure, or internal eye structures.
Urgent or emergency eye care may be needed after:
- A sports injury
- A work-related eye injury
- A fall or impact
- A scratch to the eye
- A chemical splash
- A foreign object entering the eye
- Blunt trauma near the eye
- A cut or puncture injury
- Exposure to flying debris
Chemical injuries, penetrating injuries, severe trauma, or sudden vision loss require emergency medical care immediately.
When to Go to the Emergency Room
Some symptoms should not wait for an office appointment.
Go to the emergency room or call emergency services if you experience:
- Sudden vision loss
- Severe eye trauma
- A chemical burn or chemical splash to the eye
- A puncture wound to the eye
- A sharp object stuck in the eye
- Severe eye pain with nausea or vomiting
- Sudden double vision with neurological symptoms
- Vision loss with weakness, confusion, facial drooping, or trouble speaking
- A curtain, shadow, or rapidly worsening vision loss
- Symptoms after a serious head or facial injury
For urgent but non-life-threatening eye symptoms, call True Eye Center of Keller so our team can help direct you to the right level of care.
What to Expect During an Urgent Eye Exam
During an urgent eye exam, the goal is to identify what may be causing your symptoms and determine the next appropriate step.
Your visit may include:
- Review of your symptoms
- Medical and eye health history
- Vision testing
- Eye pressure measurement
- Pupil evaluation
- Examination of the front of the eye
- Corneal evaluation
- Assessment for infection, inflammation, or injury
- Contact lens-related evaluation when needed
- Dilated retinal exam when symptoms involve flashes, floaters, or vision changes
- Treatment recommendations or referral when appropriate
Depending on the findings, Dr. Caleb may recommend medication, follow-up care, changes to contact lens wear, additional testing, or referral to a specialist or emergency facility.
Why Choose True Eye Center of Keller for Urgent Eye Care?
True Eye Center of Keller provides comprehensive, medical, pediatric, and family eye care with a patient-focused approach. Dr. Shabree Nichols Caleb is a board-certified therapeutic optometrist trained in the management, treatment, and prevention of eye diseases, routine eye care, diabetic eye care, glaucoma care, retinal disease, pediatric care, and specialty contact lens fittings.
For urgent eye concerns, that medical eye care background matters. The goal is not only to relieve discomfort, but to identify whether symptoms may point to infection, inflammation, injury, dry eye, contact lens complications, retinal concerns, or another eye health issue.
Serving Keller, North Fort Worth, and Nearby Communities
True Eye Center of Keller serves patients throughout Keller, North Fort Worth, Southlake, Colleyville, Alliance, Trophy Club, Roanoke, Westlake, Watauga, Haslet, and nearby North Texas communities.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is urgent eye care?
Urgent eye care is prompt evaluation for eye symptoms that should not wait for a routine exam. This may include eye pain, redness, light sensitivity, infections, injuries, sudden vision changes, flashes, floaters, or contact lens-related problems.
Do I need urgent eye care for a red eye?
You should call for guidance if your red eye is painful, light sensitive, worsening, affecting vision, producing discharge, related to contact lens wear, or caused by an injury.
Are flashes and floaters an emergency?
New flashes or a sudden increase in floaters should be evaluated promptly, especially if they occur with a shadow, curtain, blurry vision, or vision loss. These symptoms may indicate a retinal tear or detachment.
Should I go to the ER for sudden vision loss?
Yes. Sudden vision loss should be treated as an emergency. Go to the emergency room or call emergency services, especially if symptoms are severe, sudden, or accompanied by neurological symptoms.
Can an optometrist treat eye infections?
Optometrists can evaluate red eyes, discharge, irritation, and suspected eye infections. Treatment or referral depends on the cause, severity, and exam findings.
What should I do if something is stuck in my eye?
Do not rub the eye. If gentle rinsing does not help, or if pain, redness, light sensitivity, or blurry vision continues, call for urgent eye care. If a sharp object has entered the eye, seek emergency medical care immediately.
What should contact lens wearers do if their eye is red or painful?
Remove your contact lenses and wear glasses. Call for urgent eye care if you have redness, pain, discharge, blurry vision, swelling, light sensitivity, or symptoms that do not quickly improve.
Can dry eye feel like an urgent eye problem?
Yes. Dry eye can cause burning, watering, redness, foreign body sensation, and blurry vision. However, similar symptoms can also be caused by infection, abrasion, inflammation, or contact lens complications, so persistent or painful symptoms should be evaluated.
Are same-day eye exams available?
Same-day eye exams may be available depending on the schedule and the urgency of your symptoms. Call the office and explain what you are experiencing so the team can help guide you.
When should I call True Eye Center of Keller?
Call if you have eye pain, redness, discharge, light sensitivity, sudden blurry vision, flashes, floaters, contact lens discomfort, or an eye injury. If symptoms are severe or vision-threatening, seek emergency care immediately.
Call for Urgent Eye Care
If you have eye pain, redness, sudden vision changes, flashes, floaters, discharge, injury, or contact lens-related discomfort, call True Eye Center of Keller for guidance.
Same-day appointments may be available depending on the schedule and the urgency of your symptoms.
For urgent symptoms, call the office for guidance. Same-day availability depends on the schedule. For sudden vision loss, severe injury, or a chemical exposure, seek emergency care immediately.
