Urgent symptoms

Topics to discuss

• Sudden vision loss, severe eye pain, or an eye injury. For a chemical splash, start rinsing the eye with clean water immediately for at least 20 minutes. Call 911 or get emergency help while continuing to rinse.
• Sudden hearing loss, or ear pain with high fever and swelling behind the ear
• Trouble breathing, drooling, or being unable to swallow with a sore throat
• A possible broken bone, a limb that looks out of shape, or a deep or heavily bleeding wound
• A head injury with confusion, vomiting, or passing out
• Fever during or after travel to an area with malaria
• For any of these, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Choosing the next step

Use the warning signs above to decide when emergency help is needed. This page cannot check your symptoms or tell you that it is safe to wait. If symptoms are severe, sudden, or getting worse quickly, seek urgent medical help. A routine appointment request is not an emergency service, and a message may not be read right away.

For a life-threatening emergency, call 911. Do not drive yourself if you feel faint, confused, or unable to travel safely. If possible, have someone stay with you while help arrives. Bring your medicine list and allergy information if they are easy to reach, but do not delay emergency care to collect records.

Sources

• Ear Infections — MedlinePlus (NIH)
• Sore Throat — MedlinePlus (NIH)
• Pink Eye — MedlinePlus (NIH)
• Sprains and Strains — MedlinePlus (NIH)
• Travelers' Health — CDC
• Traveler's Health — MedlinePlus (NIH)
• Red eye — NHS
• Eye injuries — NHS
• Ankle sprain: aftercare — MedlinePlus (NIH)