Emergency Eye Care in the Des Moines Metro Area

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Protect Your Eyes in High-Stress Situations

If you are experiencing a medical emergency and require immediate help, please call 911.

We’re here for your eye health through thick and thin, and we want you to be ready if an eye emergency strikes.

If you’re experiencing a sudden loss of vision, eye trauma, or eye pain, don’t wait—seek help to prevent lasting eye damage.

Signs of an Eye Emergency

If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, please reach out to a medical professional:

  • Loss of vision
  • Burning or stinging
  • Pupils that are not the same size
  • One eye is not moving like the other
  • One eye is sticking out or bulging
  • Eye pain
  • Decreased vision
  • Double vision
  • Redness and irritation
  • Light sensitivity
  • Bruising around the eye
  • Bleeding from the eye
  • Blood in the white part of the eye
  • Discharge from the eye
  • Severe itching
  • New or severe headaches

Please call one of our clinics or 911 if we are closed:

Eye Emergency First Aid

If you need first aid fast, please follow these guidelines.

DO

  • Clean your hands thoroughly with soap and water if you must touch your eye.
  • Flush your eye with cool, clean water in the event of a chemical spill or a small foreign object.
  • Keep your eye still and cover it without applying pressure.

DON’T

  • Rub or apply pressure to your eye.
  • Try to remove foreign objects that are stuck in any part of your eye.
  • Use tweezers or any other tools in your eye (cotton swabs can be used, but only on the eyelid).
  • Put medications or ointments in your eye.

We’re here to help in the event of an eye emergency and will be here to move forward with a recovery plan for you.

Our Locations

Altoona

  • 1005 8th St SW, Suite A.
  • Altoona, IA 50009

Johnston

  • 5501 NW 86th St., Suite 500
  • Johnston, IA 50131

Our Blog

Why Does Driving at Night Get More Difficult as You Age?

Eye Health

Driving at night can be difficult at any age, especially if you have a preexisting vision problem. Between glare, difficulty seeing in the dark, or a delayed reaction time, it can be difficult to do so safely. But why does it become more difficult as you age? As you get older, your eyesight naturally gets […]

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May 10, 2023
Jeff Neighbors

How Long Does an Eye Exam Take?

Eye Health

How long will your eye exam be? An eye exam typically takes between 20 and 60 minutes, but certain factors can affect the duration of your appointment, such as your eye health and any potential risks for eye diseases.  What Happens During an Eye Exam?  During a comprehensive eye exam, your vision care practitioner must […]

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April 4, 2023
Jeff Neighbors

How to Clean Eyeglasses

Eyeglasses

An inevitable part of wearing eyeglasses is that, eventually, they will get dirty. You’ll smudge the lens with a fingerprint, or maybe you’ll splash water on them. As tempting as a quick breath and wipe from your t-shirt is, that’s not an ideal way to clean them. A gentle wash with warm water and soap […]

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April 4, 2023
Jeff Neighbors
A senior man in the driver's seat of a car with a senior woman in the passenger seat, both with a concerned look on their faces

Driving at night can be difficult at any age, especially if you have a preexisting vision problem. Between glare, difficulty seeing in the dark, or a delayed reaction time, it can be difficult to do so safely. But why does it become more difficult as you age? As you get older, your eyesight naturally gets […]

Read More…

"An optometrist performing an eye examination on a man using a specialized medical device while holding a lens up to the man's eye."

How long will your eye exam be? An eye exam typically takes between 20 and 60 minutes, but certain factors can affect the duration of your appointment, such as your eye health and any potential risks for eye diseases.  What Happens During an Eye Exam?  During a comprehensive eye exam, your vision care practitioner must […]

Read More…

A close-up of hands cleaning black-colored frame eyeglasses with a cleaning spray and a microfiber.

An inevitable part of wearing eyeglasses is that, eventually, they will get dirty. You’ll smudge the lens with a fingerprint, or maybe you’ll splash water on them. As tempting as a quick breath and wipe from your t-shirt is, that’s not an ideal way to clean them. A gentle wash with warm water and soap […]

Read More…

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