The eye is red but my dog seems relaxed. Can I wait until tomorrow?

Only if there is nothing else. Isolated redness, with no pain, no squinting, no tearing, no cloudiness and no change in the pupil, can be assessed within the day. The presence of even one of those features changes the picture, because acute glaucoma and deep ulcers worsen within hours and their damage is largely irreversible.

Can I use eye drops my vet prescribed months ago?

No. If they contain corticosteroids they can turn a superficial ulcer into a perforation, and even plain leftover drops are often contaminated once opened. On top of that, applying a product before the appointment alters the tests the vet needs to run, including the fluorescein stain used to detect an ulcer.

How do I tell whether my pet can still see?

Watch it move in a familiar room and then in a new one, without exposing it to stairs or dangerous obstacles. An animal that bumps into furniture only in an unfamiliar place, hesitates before jumping, seeks contact with walls or lifts its paws unusually high is compensating for reduced vision. Accurate assessment needs clinical tests, so report what you observed rather than drawing conclusions.

The globe has come out. Can I push it back in myself?

No, unless your own vet has personally shown you how. A wrong manoeuvre can tear the extraocular muscles and destroy any remaining vision. What genuinely helps is keeping the globe constantly moist with gauze soaked in saline, preventing the animal from scratching at it, and reaching the clinic as quickly as possible.

Emergencies and first aid9 min readUpdated on August 5, 2026

A swollen eye or an eye out of its socket: why it is a real emergency

Proptosis, acute glaucoma, deep corneal ulcers and chemicals in the eye: how to recognise them, what to do at once and what never to put in an eye.

Audience: Pet owners
Species: Dog, Cat
Scope: Valid everywhere, European Union, Italy

An eye that changes appearance is often left until the next day, because it looks like a local problem and because the animal keeps eating and moving. It is one of the most expensive judgements an owner can make. The eye is an organ with almost no reserve: in acute glaucoma raised pressure damages the retina and optic nerve irreversibly within hours, a deep corneal ulcer can perforate in the same time, and a globe displaced out of its socket loses its blood supply while you wait. Meanwhile ocular pain is intense and is routinely underestimated, because it produces no crying out. This article lists the situations that cannot wait, explains how to recognise pain in an animal that does not declare it, and clarifies which actions genuinely help before the clinic. First aid does not replace veterinary care and no eye drops should be used on your own initiative.

The situations that cannot wait

Not every eye problem is an emergency, but some always are. The practical criterion is the combination of obvious pain, a sudden change in appearance and reduced vision. If two of those three are present, the appointment should be sought immediately rather than the following day.

Ocular emergencies and their window for action
Condition	How it looks	Window
Proptosis of the globe	The eye pushed forward past the eyelids, which close behind it	Immediate, every minute counts
Acute glaucoma	Hard, enlarged eye, cloudy bluish cornea, dilated unresponsive pupil	Hours, retinal damage is progressive
Deep corneal ulcer	Half closed eye, heavy tearing, an opaque area or crater on the cornea	Hours, risk of perforation
Penetrating trauma or foreign body	Visible wound, blood in the front chamber, distorted pupil	Immediate
Contact with chemicals	Violent squinting immediately after exposure	Immediate, prolonged flushing at once
Acute uveitis	Red painful eye, small pupil, discomfort in light	Hours, often a sign of systemic disease

Proptosis: the globe out of the socket

Proptosis is forward displacement of the globe, with the eyelids closing behind its equator and preventing it from returning. It is typical of head trauma and fights, and it is far more frequent in brachycephalic breeds, where the socket is shallow and the eye prominent: in those animals it can happen after modest trauma or violent traction on the scruff.

The visual outcome depends on the time that passes, on how many extraocular muscles are torn and on the presence of pupillary reflexes, all of which the vet assesses. What you can do at home is limited but far from negligible: keeping the eye moist prevents the cornea from drying, and a dry cornea loses transparency permanently within a short time.

Call the clinic and leave straight away
Say that this is a proptosis and ask whether they can see you immediately. If needed, ask to be directed to an open practice with ophthalmology competence.
Keep the eye moist during the journey
Cover the globe with sterile gauze soaked in saline and re wet it every few minutes. Do not press and do not try to reposition the globe.
Stop the animal from touching it
A protective collar or, failing that, your hand gently blocking the paw prevents the damage from worsening within seconds.
Check the rest of the animal
Proptosis almost always follows trauma: check breathing, gums, consciousness and ability to walk, because a chest or neurological injury has an even higher priority.
Give nothing by mouth
No human painkillers, no food and no water: if anaesthesia becomes necessary, a full stomach complicates matters.

Ocular pain is not heard, it is seen

The cornea is one of the most densely innervated structures in the body, and a superficial ulcer causes pain comparable to a corneal abrasion in a person. Dogs and cats, however, do not cry or complain: they communicate through posture, facial expression and activity. Recognising these signs saves you from waiting for something more dramatic to appear.

An eye held half or fully closed, with eyelid squeezing that increases in bright light.
Heavy tearing or discharge staining the coat beneath the eye.
A visible third eyelid covering part of the ocular surface.
Attempts to rub with a paw or to press the face against rugs and furniture.
Seeking dark places, reluctance to go out in sunshine, head held low.
Reduced appetite and play with no other explanation.
In cats, withdrawal and a hunched posture with half closed eyes, often the only visible sign.

Chemicals in the eye: flushing comes before everything

Oven cleaners, drain unblockers, descalers, lime, cement and some floor cleaning products cause corneal damage that keeps progressing while the substance remains in contact. In these cases immediate flushing is not an alternative to the appointment: it is the part of the treatment with the greatest effect on outcome, and it should start before you get in the car.

Start flushing within seconds
Sterile saline if you have enough of it, otherwise lukewarm running water at a gentle flow. Volume matters more than sterility here.
Continue for at least fifteen minutes
Hold the eyelids gently open and direct the flow from the inner corner outwards, so the substance is not carried into the other eye.
Do not use neutralising substances
Do not pour vinegar, bicarbonate, milk or anything else to counteract the chemical: the reaction releases heat and adds thermal damage.
Bring the product packaging with you
The label gives composition and pH, information that guides treatment at the clinic. Photograph it if you cannot bring it.
Prevent rubbing during the journey
A protective collar or a fabric sleeve on the paw reduces the risk of the animal making the injury worse while you are on the road.

Who is most at risk and why

Some conformations and some conditions make eye problems both more frequent and more severe. Knowing that you belong to a higher risk category justifies closer monitoring and a lower threshold for concern.

Risk factors and typical consequences
Factor	Why it raises the risk
Brachycephalic conformation	Shallow socket, prominent eye, incomplete blinking, more exposed cornea
Breeds predisposed to primary glaucoma	Abnormal drainage angle, often bilateral, with the second eye at risk in the following months
Reduced tear production	A poorly protected cornea, recurrent ulcers and more frequent infections
Animals in fields and long grass	Plant foreign bodies under the third eyelid, particularly in spring and summer
Living with conflicting cats or dogs	Corneal scratches, the most common cause of a sudden ulcer in one eye
Ongoing systemic disease	Uveitis can be the first visible sign of an infectious or immune mediated illness

In dogs with prominent eyes it is worth learning the eyelid repositioning manoeuvre only after being shown it by your own vet, because done badly it adds damage. For every other case the rule is simpler: do not touch, keep moist, protect and go.

What to bring and what to tell the clinic

A thirty second phone call before leaving changes how the clinic organises itself and shortens waiting time. The information needed is short and specific.

How long the problem has been there, with the exact time if you saw it happen.
Whether there was trauma, contact with another animal or exposure to a chemical product.
Whether the animal can see: watch how it moves in a familiar room and in an unfamiliar one, without letting it face dangerous obstacles.
Which treatments it is already receiving, including those for other conditions.
Whether it has had similar episodes before and in which eye.
Whether it has eaten, and when: this matters for planning possible sedation.

Bring the packaging of any product involved, the list of current treatments and, if you have them, photographs of the eye before the episode. A visual comparison helps establish whether one eye already looked slightly different from the other, information that guides diagnosis in cases of glaucoma or lens luxation.

Frequently asked questions

The eye is red but my dog seems relaxed. Can I wait until tomorrow?: Only if there is nothing else. Isolated redness, with no pain, no squinting, no tearing, no cloudiness and no change in the pupil, can be assessed within the day. The presence of even one of those features changes the picture, because acute glaucoma and deep ulcers worsen within hours and their damage is largely irreversible.
Can I use eye drops my vet prescribed months ago?: No. If they contain corticosteroids they can turn a superficial ulcer into a perforation, and even plain leftover drops are often contaminated once opened. On top of that, applying a product before the appointment alters the tests the vet needs to run, including the fluorescein stain used to detect an ulcer.
How do I tell whether my pet can still see?: Watch it move in a familiar room and then in a new one, without exposing it to stairs or dangerous obstacles. An animal that bumps into furniture only in an unfamiliar place, hesitates before jumping, seeks contact with walls or lifts its paws unusually high is compensating for reduced vision. Accurate assessment needs clinical tests, so report what you observed rather than drawing conclusions.
The globe has come out. Can I push it back in myself?: No, unless your own vet has personally shown you how. A wrong manoeuvre can tear the extraocular muscles and destroy any remaining vision. What genuinely helps is keeping the globe constantly moist with gauze soaked in saline, preventing the animal from scratching at it, and reaching the clinic as quickly as possible.

What to do next

If you notice an eye that is half closed, cloudy, enlarged or displaced, treat it as urgent and phone the clinic immediately rather than waiting for morning. Put in no eye drops, stop the animal from scratching and, after contact with a chemical, start flushing with saline or clean water for at least fifteen minutes before you leave. Bring the packaging of any product involved and the list of current treatments.