Emergency Eye Care in Titusville Call Us First. We Will Be Ready.

Is something wrong with your eye right now?

One eye woke up red and sore. A fleck of metal or a grain of sand flew in at work. New floaters showed up this afternoon, or a flash keeps going off at the edge of your sight. Or one eye went blurry for no reason you can name, and a search has already scared you.

Most of what feels like an eye emergency is something we treat every week, and most of it turns out fine when it is looked at quickly. A few things cannot wait. The way to know which is yours is a phone call, not another search. Call and we will tell you what to do next.

Why call an eye doctor first instead of going to the ER?

Because for most eye problems we can do more for you than an ER or an urgent care can, and do it faster. Our exam rooms have a slit lamp, the microscope that shows the front of the eye in fine detail, retinal imaging that photographs the back of the eye, and instruments that read the pressure inside it. Most urgent care clinics have none of those, and many ERs look, then send you to an eye doctor anyway.

Call (321) 269-2021 and say it is urgent. We fit urgent problems into the schedule at both offices during our hours, Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm. After hours or on a weekend, call the same number; we work urgent cases in as quickly as we can, including after hours and on weekends.

Some things do belong at the hospital. Go to the nearest emergency room or call 911 for an object stuck in the eye, a cut to the eyelid or the eyeball, an eye problem that came with a blow to the head, or a vision change with a severe headache, weakness, or trouble speaking. For a chemical splash, rinse with clean water for 15 minutes first, then call us.

What eye problems should not wait?

Sudden flashes, a shower of new floaters, a sudden blur or loss of sight, and a red eye that hurts are the ones we want to hear about the same day. A few of them can mean the retina or the pressure inside the eye is in trouble, and those are the ones we most want to catch early. You do not have to decide how bad it is; that is our job.

Call us the same day for:

• Sudden flashes of light, or a new shower of floaters
• Sudden loss of vision, or a sudden blur in one eye
• Double vision that came on suddenly
• Eye pain, especially with a headache or nausea
• An injury to the eye, a scratch, or something in the eye that will not rinse out
• A shadow or curtain across part of your vision
• A red eye that hurts, not just one that itches
• New sensitivity to light

What happens at an emergency eye visit?

We look at the eye first and ask questions second, so you are in the chair fast. Expect a check of your vision, a look at the front of the eye under the slit lamp, an eye pressure reading, and, for flashes, floaters, or vision loss, dilating drops and a wide image of the retina. Plan on about an hour, longer if we dilate.

A good deal of it we treat right in the office. We lift metal, sand, and other debris off the surface of the eye, treat scratches on the cornea, treat pink eye and other infections, and settle allergy and dry eye flare-ups. When we find something that needs a surgeon, such as a retinal tear, we refer you to the right specialist and explain what happens next.

Two people with the same sign can have very different causes, which is why we look before we say anything. If what you have is not on any list and you are worried, call anyway.

Before you come in:

• Do not rub the eye, and do not try to dig anything out of it
• If you wear contact lenses, take them out and bring the box or a lens in its case
• If your vision is affected, have someone drive you
• Bring your glasses, your medical insurance card, and the names of any drops or medicines you use

Who sees eye emergencies at Aker Eye, and at which office?

All four of our doctors, at both offices. Dr. Amanda Aker's residency at the Illinois College of Optometry was a full year of primary care and ocular disease, urgent visits included, and she practices Downtown beside her father, Dr. Greg Aker. Dr. Koehnemann and Dr. Bradley take urgent visits at Playalinda. When you call, we tell you which office can see you first.

Downtown, at 338 S Washington Ave, is on the second floor with an elevator just inside the door. Playalinda, at 1114 S Washington Ave, is all on one floor, worth knowing if you are hurt or cannot see well.

Does insurance cover an emergency eye visit?

Usually, yes, through your medical insurance rather than your vision plan, because an urgent visit is a medical visit. Bring your medical card, not just the vision plan card. A copay like the one for your regular doctor is typical. If you have no insurance, tell us when you call and we will give you the self-pay price. Cost should never be the reason you wait when your eye hurts or your sight has changed.