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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To go to A&E for eye pain?

42 replies

Bouncingbelle · 17/04/2020 01:18

I'm wanting to avoid A&E at all costs at the moment for obvious reasons. I would normally go to the optician for this but they are shut. Sounds stupid but toddler DC rammed a plastic toy into my eye this morning and dragged it across my eyeball. It was really really sore at the time, and has got more irritated/sensitive/watery all day and is now driving me crazy. Or can GPs deal with this? Or is it the kind of thing that just gets better on it's own? Can anyone help??

OP posts:

Original poster

Bouncingbelle · 17/04/2020 01:20

Actually, I've probably answered my own question. It's hardly spouting blood so obv I shouldn't go to a&e. But it just feels something is 'wrong' . Are there emergency opticians?

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Randomness12 · 17/04/2020 01:21

If you can see out of it, visit your pharmacy. If it has impacted your eyesight then call 111 and they will tell you what to do best for your area

Original poster

Bouncingbelle · 17/04/2020 01:23

Didnt even think of the pharmacy! Thanks!

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IHateMyPassportPhoto · 17/04/2020 01:23

Ring 111 and ask. I wouldn’t put your eyesight at risk.

Actionhasmagic · 17/04/2020 01:25

If you’re in London try moorfields eye hospital they have an a&e just for eyes!

mineofuselessinformation · 17/04/2020 01:25

Go to A&E.
Nobody messes around with eyes.
You're likely to be fast-tracked to the emergency eye clinic.
It sounds like you've got a scratch on your cornea, which needs antibiotic eyedrops and a follow up appointment to make sure it's healing.

LaurieFairyCake · 17/04/2020 01:26

Yes to going to moorfields

I scratched my cornea and went there (was in agony!)

BoreOfWhabylon · 17/04/2020 01:28

It's likely you have a corneal abrasion (scratched surface of the eye). Very painful. It will need examination with special kit and eyedrops to show up any scratches. Usually treated with antibiotics.

Go to A & E. They are separating covid and non-covid cases.

BoreOfWhabylon · 17/04/2020 01:29

x-posted!

BoreOfWhabylon · 17/04/2020 01:30

Pharmacies are not equipped or qualified to examine/treat this sort of injury.

PotholeParadise · 17/04/2020 01:36

Go to A&E. You will get sent to the eye clinic. It might be the kind of corneal abrasion that will heal on its own, just very painfully and slowly. It also might be the kind of thing that won't heal properly on its own and could lead to sight loss either now or later.

None of us can tell you, because if it was that simple, doctors wouldn't do years of specialised training post-qualification to become consultants in the area. Further, if your eye doesn't heal properly, it won't be something you can just ignore for the rest of your life. So I'd go to A&E.

Sorry. I know it's not what you want to read.

mumum1 · 17/04/2020 01:41

If you ring your opticians they should be able to advise you over the phone or book you an emergency appointment

PotholeParadise · 17/04/2020 01:42

Pharmacies are not equipped or qualified to examine/treat this sort of injury.

Perhaps more importantly, they don't think they're qualified to treat such injuries!

I went into a walk-in clinic with something less serious than this and the very, very, very capable nurse-practitioner took a look at it, said, "well, I think it's this, but I'm not touching it, because we don't mess about with eyes" and placed a call right then and there to the hospital eye-clinic to get me a same day emergency appointment!

Original poster

Bouncingbelle · 17/04/2020 01:46

Thanks all its driving me crazy, I think I'm going to have to go down to A& E now when it's likely to be quieter, it's like I'm being stabbed in the eye. Gloves & mask will be worn. This is just a disaster.

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MovinOnUp · 17/04/2020 01:56

Your optician should be open for emergencies, Have you tried calling them? They may have an emergency contact number on their answering machine.

UniversalAunt · 17/04/2020 01:56

Do not take risks with eye injuries.

A&E is still open for business & there is concern that people are not seeking medical assistance needed because of COVID.

Ring up 111 or the A&E if you are concerned about going in & they can confirm which is the correct entrance for you to use.

My understanding is that COVID patients are triaged through a separate entrance - this is so at my local Trust.

Neither GP or Optician will examine you promptly at the moment, nor are they specialists in eye injuries, so the place to go is your local A&E, but ring them or 111 first.

Yes, Moorfields Eye Hospital at Old Street does have an A&E - as other posters have mentioned - & at the moment they are doing video triage.
www.moorfields.nhs.uk/service/accident-emergency.

PotholeParadise · 17/04/2020 02:02

Good luck. Hopefully a hunky eye doctor will look at it, give you a prescription for good painkillers and maybe something to speed up the healing and tell you to buzz off.

But if this is a worse scenario than that, it may need more. In the past I've mildly damaged my cornea without noticing at the time, and it reared its ugly (not that I could actually see it or anything else...) head later. It took a long saga of an emergency eye-test (during which two opticians of varying seniority said "are you sure you don't remember scraping your eye?"), two emergency eye-clinic referrals (during which the senior eye clinic nurse, the eye registrar and the senior consultant all said "are you sure you don't remember scraping your eye?") and multiple scheduled follow-up appointments to sort it out again.

PotholeParadise · 17/04/2020 02:15

Point of clarification: the emergency eye-test I mention in my post was not a clinical recommendation, and it's ^not where I should have gone, as it turned out. Over the course of a week, I noticed my vision was really blurry on one side, and because it wasn't hurting, I assumed I just needed new glasses. It was really irritating me not to be able to see without blurriness, so I got the quickest appointment I could at Specsavers!

I explained all this during my eye-test, and they thought they could see evidence of damage. So they... referred me to the hospital eye-clinic to see a doctor because it was outwith their expertise!

They were adamant that they couldn't identify it more precisely than 'corneal damage' or provide treatment for it, and I needed a doctor to look at it and assess what was going on.

Overjoyedd · 17/04/2020 02:16

Not sure if the procedure differs to each hospital (we live in South East London BTW) Basically my DH had to visit one a few days ago because he thought he was suddenly developing a big blind spots/line!

He rang a local optician which he has never been to because his usual one was closed. This lady optician (was brilliant), she had a telephone consultation with him first, made him to go on a website -sorry can't remember it now- to have like online eye check together, then she made a few phone calls to the hospitals. she came back with saying "go to xxx hospital tomorrow for Dr. xyz"

When he got there the next day, the receptionist at the Eye Casualty said "hm your name is not on the list.. we cant' see you unless you have a letter"

(So DH he had to explain that the Dr.xyz is must have received a call from the optician yesterday etc,. then they had to confirm it to the Dr. but DH said he felt really sweaty when he heard that )

Overjoyedd · 17/04/2020 02:27

Anyway DH was able to get checked etc, given eye drops for the treatment and all fine now. (will have to go back to see them in a month time tho).

We are now self isolating for the next 2wks or so)

Maybe call your local Boots optician to see if you can get a verbal referral?

IF you do go to hospital, you shouldn't be driving as they may likely use the eye drops to make your pupil large so you can't drive back like 6 hrs after that.

-Bring sunglasses, maybe a hat as well. -Self (family) isolate for 2 weeks after that

Good luck, i know it's very worrying!!

Toddlerteaplease · 17/04/2020 03:19

Large hospitals will have an eye casualty. Also many A&e's are not as. It's as they usually would be.

Original poster

Bouncingbelle · 17/04/2020 03:37

I've been & am back in one piece! Large corneal abrasion right across the centre of my eye so got painkillers, drops & a follow up appt for 5 days time. It was fine - nurse came to meet me outside to see what the issue was, then I was taken straight in to give my details - covid patients would use a separate entrance. Never seen A&E so quiet. Was taken straight in for checks, everyone in masks & gloves, and home again within the hour!
Thank you for persuading me to go, I thought you were going to tell me not to bother A&E at such a busy time.

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Original poster

Bouncingbelle · 17/04/2020 03:39

Tho gutted that we are now back to self isolation again after just completing 2 weeks of it!

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BoreOfWhabylon · 17/04/2020 04:00

Lynda07 · 17/04/2020 04:16

You did absolutely the right thing to go to A&E, having had corneal abrasions myself many years ago, without treatment it only gets worse. I hope you were given anaesthetic eye drops for a while as well as whatever you were prescribed to treat the abrasions.

Well done you, hope it clears up soon.

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