Urgent and emergency eye care
Sudden problem with your eyes? We provide the NHS Greater Manchester Community Urgent Eyecare Service (CUES), which means you can often be assessed here, quickly and free of charge, rather than waiting in A&E.
Always call first
This is not a walk-in service. Ring us, describe the problem, and we will tell you whether we can see you, how soon, or whether you need the hospital instead. If we are closed, call NHS 111. If it is a serious injury or a chemical splash, go straight to A&E or call 999.
Out of hours
NHS 111, or the emergency eye department at Manchester Royal Eye Hospital on Oxford Road. Stepping Hill Hospital A&E can also assess eye injuries.
What we can see you for
Flashes and floaters
A sudden shower of new floaters, flashes of light, or a shadow or curtain across your vision. These can be signs of a retinal tear and need checking the same day.
Red or painful eye
Sudden redness with pain, light sensitivity or a change in vision, including suspected infection or inflammation.
Sudden change in vision
Vision that has dropped, blurred or distorted over hours or days, in one eye or both.
Something in the eye
Grit, metal, a lash or a fragment that will not wash out. We can remove foreign bodies from the surface of the eye in the practice.
Lens problems
A lost, stuck or painful contact lens, or a red eye in a lens wearer, which should never be ignored.
Sticky or discharging eyes
Conjunctivitis and other infections. Our optometrist can treat many of these directly, including prescribing drops where needed.
CUES is an NHS service for patients registered with a GP in Greater Manchester. There is no charge for the assessment or for treatment given under the service. If you are registered elsewhere, we can still see you privately.
What happens
- You call. We ask a few questions to work out how urgent the problem is.
- We book you in, often the same day, or direct you to the hospital if that is the safer route.
- Our optometrist examines the eye, including retinal imaging or OCT where useful.
- We treat what we can treat, such as removing a foreign body or prescribing drops, or refer you to the hospital eye service with a report, the same day if needed.
- We follow up, and we write to your GP so your records are complete.
Straight to A&E or 999
- Chemical splash: rinse with water for 20 minutes and go
- A blow to the eye with loss of vision, or anything that has cut or gone into the eye
- Sudden loss of vision with weakness, numbness or difficulty speaking, which may be a stroke
Related pages
- Eye examinations routine care, and why it matters
- OCT and our technology the imaging we use in urgent assessments
- Contact how to find us
Worried about your eyes right now?
Call 0161 432 8101 during opening hours. Out of hours, call NHS 111.
