Dr Caroline Catt has extensive experience in dealing with eye emergencies in both adults and children. She is a consultant ophthalmologist to the Eye Emergency Department at Sydney Eye Hospital and the Children’s Hospital at Westmead.
The common symptoms of emergency eye problems in adults include a known injury (an accidental blow, scratch, foreign body), redness, watering, discharge, pain, sensitivity to light or a sudden reduction in vision. In children, the common symptoms include redness of the eye, pain, watering, discharge, sensitivity to light or holding the eye closed. Older children may be able to give a history of injury and report reduced vision also.
The sooner you can be seen by an ophthalmologist the better. Please call her rooms in the Sydney CBD or Gordon if you need to be seen as a matter of urgency. If Dr Catt is not available, one of her colleagues will likely be able to assist you. If you need emergency eye care after hours, it is available through the Eye Emergency Department at Sydney Eye Hospital (16 years and older) or the Emergency Department at the Children’s Hospital at Westmead (15 years and under) where you may be assessed by the on-call Ophthalmology Registrar.