What should I do about an eye injury?
A significant injury to the eye, including a blow, a penetrating object or a foreign body, needs emergency assessment. Do not press on the eye or attempt to remove an embedded object.
- Subject
- Symptoms
- Topic
- Urgent eye symptoms
- Kind of question
- Other questions
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
This answer explains what the symptom commonly indicates. If it has come on suddenly, or together with pain or loss of vision, seek urgent care rather than waiting for an appointment. This page cannot examine your eye.
In more detail
For a penetrating injury a rigid shield held in place without pressure is safer than a pad. If in doubt, go directly to emergency care.
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Symptoms & when to get help in Urgent eye symptoms . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Condition Glaucoma
- Condition Keratoconus
- Condition Retina and macula conditions
- Condition Diabetic eye disease
- Condition Eye infections, allergies and injuries
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026