The emergency eye care department is very busy and patients should only attend for emergency, sight-threatening conditions.
We have outlined what constitutes an emergency, urgent or routine eye condition. Please read the guidance carefully to ensure you access the most appropriate pathway for your needs.
Emergency eye conditions
The emergency eye care department treats sight-threatening conditions only, including:
- Chemical injury
- Penetrating injury or eye lid laceration
- Severe pain or loss of vision within four weeks of surgery or treatment injection
- Sudden onset of double vision
- Painful loss of vision if contact lenses normally worn
- Sudden loss of vision with or without pain
- Pain or loss of vision after glaucoma drainage surgery or corneal transplant surgery, regardless of when the surgery took place
- Severe eye lid swelling with fever, reduced vision or double vision
- Eye pain keeping you awake at night
Please note, you do not need to book an appointment if you have one of the above conditions, please head straight to the emergency eye care department.
The opening hours for this department are listed below.
Opening timings
- 8am to 4pm – Monday to Friday
- 8am to 12noon – weekends and bank holidays
Outside of these hours, please go straight to your nearest emergency department or urgent treatment centre.
What if chemicals get into my eye?
Please do not wait to seek help. Immediately begin rinsing your eye with clean water and continue to do so while seeking medical attention from your nearest emergency department or urgent treatment centre.
Where do I need to go?
- The emergency eye care department is located in James Cook on the yellow route, next to Costa Coffee.
- Please ring the doorbell on your arrival and wait for our reception team to greet you.
- The corridor is equipped with CCTV so our staff will know you are waiting.
- Our team will assess your condition and determine whether the emergency eye care department is the most appropriate service for your needs.
Urgent eye conditions (non-emergency)
From Tuesday 3 November 2026, we will be launching a dedicated phone line to support patients with urgent eye conditions that are non-sight-threatening including:
- Suspected eye infections
- New onset of flashes, floaters or a dark curtain over vision
- Red or painful eye/s
Please call 01642 854096 to speak to a member of the team who will record your details. A triage nurse will call you back to assess your condition and choose the most appropriate pathway for your needs.
If you experience flashing lights and floaters (without blurring of vision) please call 01642 854096.
Opening times
The emergency eye care department phone line is open:
- Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm
- Bank holidays and weekends: 8am to 12noon
If you experience an urgent condition outside of these hours that is non-sight threatening, please call the phone line the next working day.
If your condition worsens or becomes an emergency, please attend your nearest emergency department or urgent treatment centre.
Other eye conditions
For any other acute eye concerns, please contact your GP surgery or local optician. They can help with:
- mild irritation
- dry or sticky eyes
- gradual blurred vision (not sudden)
Please keep our hospital services free for sight-threatening conditions.
Have an eye concern but not sure what to do?
If you are unsure whether your condition is an emergency, please contact our emergency eye care department before attending. This will allow our teams to assess your symptoms and ensure you receive the most appropriate care as quickly as possible.
The department is open:
- Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm
- Weekend and bank holidays: 8am-12noon
Call 01642 854096.
Optometrists and GPs
If a patient needs to be seen for an urgent eye condition, please advise them to call 01642 85409 where a triage nurse will assess their condition and direct them to the most appropriate care pathway.
Note the fast-track referral service for GPs is still available.
Patients with a sight-threatening emergency should attend the eye emergency eye department during the hours listed above.
Outside of these hours, patients are advised to attend their nearest emergency department or urgent treatment centre for emergencies only.
Staff information
Inpatients with an eye condition
Please continue to submit a WEBice request fot inpatients requiring eye care. Walk-ins are only available for inpatients with an acute emergency eye condition. If in doubt, please contact the on-call ophthalmology team.