Urgent and After-Hours Eye Care

To meet the urgent care gaps in our community, the Waterloo Eye Institute is triaging and offering tele-optometric or in-person care as needed.

Urgent eye care concerns include:

• Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes
• Changes in vision such as sudden spots, flashes of light, wavy or jagged lines, blurry faces, halos around lights or double vision
• Changes in the field of vision such as black spots or blurriness in central or peripheral (side) vision
• Physical changes to the eye such as signs of infection (redness, swelling, discharge, etc.)
• Sudden eye pain
• Suspected eye abrasion
• Suspected foreign body in the eye

This is not a complete list. If you have other acute symptoms that worry you, seek immediate care.

Please call your regular optometrist first. If necessary, they may refer you to the Waterloo Eye Institute or to a hospital (usually St. Mary’s if you’re in Waterloo Region).

If your optometrist refers you to us, or if the Waterloo Eye Institute is your normal eye care provider, call 519-888-4623 to make an appointment at our Waterloo Clinic.

We are typically open for in-person urgent care appointments:

• Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• Saturday, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

We offer an after-hours on-call service by telephone during the following times:

• Monday to Friday: 5 p.m. – 10 p.m.
• Sunday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m.

To get urgent eye care service during the above hours, call our dedicated line at 519-888-4567, ext. 40600. Depending on the situation, our on-call optometrist may advise you on how to look after your eyes at home, to book an appointment with our in-person urgent care service during regular business hours, or to go to a hospital emergency department.

If you need urgent eye care outside our after-hours on-call times, call St. Mary's Hospital at 519-744-3311. If you’re outside Waterloo Region, go to the nearest emergency room.