Is your eye hurting, has your vision suddenly changed, or did something get into your eye? At Altitude Optometry in Gatineau, our optometrists assess every emergency case and provide you with care tailored to your situation as quickly as possible.

Outside of business hours, please fill out the form on this page. Requests are reviewed by an optometrist. For urgent cases, an appointment outside of business hours may be available, depending on the availability of our optometrists and for an additional fee. We cannot guarantee a specific response time.

If your situation cannot wait, go to the emergency room at the nearest hospital.

Frontline optometrists for your eye emergencies 

The optometrist is your first point of contact for the diagnosis, treatment, and management of eye emergencies. At Altitude Optometry, a local optometry clinic in Gatineau, we offer emergency consultations during our regular business hours, with priority assessment for urgent cases. For serious situations, we do our best to accommodate you, even outside of regular hours, depending on our availability. Our team works closely with local ophthalmologists to ensure quality care, and we are able to treat the majority of eye emergencies directly at the clinic.

Eye Emergency Symptoms: When Should You Seek Medical Attention?

Some symptoms require prompt evaluation. Seek medical attention immediately if you experience:

• Sudden, severe eye pain

• Sudden, partial, or complete loss of vision

• A sensation of a foreign object or an eye injury

• Significant redness accompanied by pain or sensitivity to light

• A sudden, profuse appearance of floating particles, like a shower of black dots or filaments

• Repeated flashes of light, especially if accompanied by floaters

• A veil, a shadow, or a curtain that appears in your field of vision

What Generally Does Not Constitute an Emergency

There are several situations that are uncomfortable but can wait until your next regular appointment:

• A lump on the eyelid, even if it's uncomfortable or unsightly

• Dry eyes that itch, burn, or feel like there's sand in them—even after several days

• A runny or watery eye, without pain or blurred vision

• An occasional floating body that appears from time to time and remains stable (very common and generally harmless)

• A slight redness without pain or loss of vision

• Eye strain after a long day in front of a screen

Why choose Altitude Optometry for an eye emergency in Gatineau?

At a hospital, the wait time for an eye problem can exceed several hours. At Altitude Optometry, your case is evaluated by an optometrist equipped to diagnose and treat most eye emergencies, and you’ll be scheduled for an appointment based on the urgency of your situation. If necessary, we work directly with local ophthalmologists to ensure you receive the appropriate care.

More than 550 patients have given us a 5-star review. It’s this trust that drives us to do things right—one emergency at a time.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Are you open 24 hours a day?

No. Our emergency consultations take place primarily during our regular business hours. The form on this page can be filled out at any time, and each request is reviewed by an optometrist. For serious cases, a consultation outside of business hours may be available, depending on availability.

What happens if I fill out the form in the evening or on the weekend?

Your request is received and reviewed. In most cases, we’ll contact you the next day to schedule an appointment. If your situation is deemed serious, an optometrist may offer you a consultation outside of regular business hours, depending on their availability, for an additional fee. We cannot guarantee a specific response time. If your situation cannot wait, don’t delay: go to the emergency room at the nearest hospital.