Eye Emergency – What can you do?
If you are worried about your eyes or your sight then get in touch straight away.
Contact Us
You can telephone us during our normal opening hours and ask for advice. Our telephone assessment service is only available to patients who are registered to the practice and have their sight test up to date. We will consult your records before offering any advice. In most cases you will be asked for a contact telephone number and our on-duty optometrist or on-duty dispensing opticians will call you back. When we call you back, we may ask you to make an appointment to come in and see us or refer you to your GP. If we feel that there is nothing to worry about, we will reassure you and explain our reasoning. In cases of emergency we will contact St James’s University Hospital through the Primary Care Access Line and arrange for you to be seen by a consultant ophthalmologist or ophthalmic nurse practitioner.
Contact your GP
If you are unable to contact us or unable to get to us then you can always discus your symptoms with your doctor. Some doctors have specialist training in eyes. The GP may prescribe some eye drops and ask to see you again. In cases where the GP may be concerned about the health of your eyes, he may also use the primary care access line and speak to the on-duty consultant at St James’s University Hospital to discuss appropriate course of action.
Contact your Pharmacist
For irritated eyes, dry eyes and minor eye infections, your pharmacist may be able to supply you with eye drops/ointment. There are a number or extended hour pharmacies in and around Leeds.
Call 111
NHS 111 is a free number (from mobile and landlines) to call when you have an urgent healthcare need. It directs you to the right local service. It is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. You can call this number if you don’t have a GP. If you think you need to go to A&E or another NHS urgent care service but you are not sure then this is the number to call.
Go to Eye Casualty
The St James’s Eye Casualty sees around 12,000 patients every year. Patients are advised that, although they are given an appointment time, this does not mean they will be seen at that time as it is a queuing system. The appointment system is an attempt to spread out the patient flow. You can expect to wait up to 4 hours before being seen. All children’s A&E services are based at Leeds General Infirmary.
Adults:
St James’s University Hospital, Ground Floor, Chancellors Wing, Beckett Street, Leeds LS9 7TF
Tel: 0113 2433144
Children (under 16 years): Leeds General Infirmary, Ground Floor, Jubilee Wing, Great George Street, Leeds LS1 3EX
Tel: 0113 2432799
Call 999
Call this number if you are or someone with you is involved in an accident or experience a medical emergency. For example things like serious trauma to the eye(s), chemical burns around the eye(s) or if you think someone’s eye problems are linked to them having a stroke.