Eye infections can vary greatly in their appearance, cause and duration. Some will disappear on their own, but, some can cause scarring or even blindness (such as an orbital cellulitis). We are especially concerned when a patient is wearing contact lenses or a child has a red eye. Prompt care by your Garden Grove eye doctor is crucial to diagnosing the cause and prescribing the proper treatment.

Generally, an eye that is red, weepy or has discharge is contagious. So, children need to be seen and treated by their optometrist before going to school. If you're in any doubt, call up your local eye doctor in Garden Grove and get your child an appropriate child eye exam.

If any kind of chemical liquid or spray gets in your eye, flush it immediately with cold water for 5-10 minutes and go to see your optometrist immediately.  Toddlers, young children, and people who work with chemicals are especially at risk of getting damaging chemical burns and need to be treated by an eye doctor in Garden Grove immediately.

The important thing to remember when you get a piece of a solid material (in other words, a foreign object) in your eye, is not to rub your eye! It's very tempting to try “to rub it out” but this may only embed the particle further into the eye. Instead, try to hold the eyelid open and flush the eye with water or saline for 5-10 minutes. Then try to see your Garden Grove optometrist (or your local eye doctor anywhere else) immediately to see if the eye is scratched or if the foreign body needs to be removed or it just doesn’t “feel right”.

Most of us will see random dark spots periodically, especially if the lighting is just right. However, new spots of any color should be investigated immediately by your optometrist to rule out a problem with your retina. Unfortunately, an early retinal detachment or tear can have the same symptoms. Therefore all new spots and/ or flashes of light should be investigated immediately to prevent permanent vision loss. It should also be noted that there is no pain associated with early retinal detachments. This makes it more tempting for people to “wait and see” if it gets better. At Garden Grove Optometry, we recommend an evaluation of all spots or floaters to determine if they are normal, even if you have had them for awhile.