UrgentEmergency Guide
Eye pain: Red Flags & Emergency Signs
Acute severe eye pain with visual loss and haloes around lights is acute angle closure glaucoma — a sight-threatening emergency requiring same-day ophthalmology.
🚨 Call 999 / 112 Immediately
- ⚠Severe eye pain with sudden vision loss and halos around lights — acute angle closure glaucoma
- ⚠Eye pain with proptosis (bulging eye) and fever — orbital cellulitis
⚡ See a Doctor Today
- •Eye pain with photophobia and redness — iritis/uveitis or corneal ulcer
- •Eye pain with visual disturbance in a patient with known uveitis or connective tissue disease
High-Risk Combinations
When eye pain occurs together with any of these symptoms, urgency increases significantly:
Conditions to Rule Out Urgently
Acute Angle Closure Glaucomaurgent
IOP measurement; IV acetazolamide + pilocarpine; same-day ophthalmology
Orbital Cellulitisurgent
CT orbits; IV antibiotics; ophthalmology + ENT
When to Call Emergency Services
- →Severe eye pain with sudden vision loss — eye emergency department now