We are always available to help in the case of an eye emergency!

If you are experiencing any other type of emergency, please call 911.

If you are experiencing an eye emergency, we recommend you contact the office as soon as possible

During business hours: 207-284-4231
After-hours emergency line: 978-254-2484

Symptoms that require emergency service include, but are not limited to:

  • Sudden loss of vision
  • Sudden double vision
  • Sudden red/painful eye
  • New onset flashes and/or floaters
  • Foreign body in the eye (especially metal or chemicals)
  • New or worsening swelling or pain after eye surgery

Things NOT to do while waiting for professional medical assistance:

  • DO NOT press on an injured eye or allow the victim to rub the eye(s).
  • DO NOT attempt to remove a foreign body that is resting on the cornea (the clear surface of the eye through which we see) or that appears to be embedded in any part of the eye.
  • DO NOT use dry cotton (including cotton swabs) or sharp instruments (such as tweezers) on the eye.
  • DO NOT attempt to remove an embedded object.

Although urgent care offices and emergency departments are necessary in most emergencies, they are not always the best place for an eye related emergency. Emergency rooms also tend to have long waits and high costs. Optometrists are trained to treat the majority of eye emergencies.