For most eye issues like pink eye, foreign bodies, sudden vision changes, and eye infections, your optometrist's office is faster, cheaper, and more appropriate than the ER. We hold same-day appointments for urgent visits.
Call us first. We can usually fit urgent issues in same-day.
Bacterial, viral, and allergic conjunctivitis. We diagnose the type, prescribe the right treatment, and tell you when it’s safe to return to school or work.
A red or painful eye can be many things, and some are urgent. We rule out the serious causes and treat what's actually going on.
Something in your eye? Scratched cornea? We safely remove foreign bodies, treat corneal abrasions, and check for deeper damage.
New floaters, flashes of light, a curtain or shadow in your vision, sudden blurred or double vision: these all warrant urgent evaluation.
Painful lid bumps, eye infections, and chalazia. We treat them in-office, often without needing antibiotics if it's the wrong type.
If you wear contacts and your eye is red, painful, or sensitive to light, take the lens out and call us. Contact-lens-related infections need urgent attention.
Want to read more before you call? See pink eye vs. allergy eye, red, itchy, watery eyes in kids, causes of eye pain in children, what to do for a child's eye injury, floaters and flashes, light sensitivity in children, and contact lens discomfort in kids.
For these, go directly to the ER or call 911:
For almost everything else eye-related, we can see you faster and at lower cost than the emergency department. ER copays are typically $250–$500; a comprehensive medical eye visit with us is around $150 and is usually covered by medical insurance. For more on the decision, see eye doctor vs. ER.
Urgent eye visits are billed under medical insurance (not vision insurance) because they address a health concern. Cash-pay starts at $150 depending on visit complexity.
Because urgent eye problems are health concerns rather than routine vision care, urgent visits are billed under your medical insurance, not vision insurance. See accepted plans →
If you're a current patient, your chart and prescription history make urgent visits faster and more accurate. New here? Visit our new patients page first.
Cash-Pay Rate
From $150
Cash pay · same-day when available
Final price depends on the complexity of the visit and any in-office testing needed (imaging, dye staining, foreign-body removal, etc.). We quote you up front before any extras.
Call the office first. We'll triage and fit you in if it can't wait.