Emergencies · Cabinet OPHTALIFE · Boulogne-Billancourt

Eye emergencies in Boulogne‑Billancourt

A red or painful eye, sudden loss of vision, an eye injury, a foreign body, a sudden shower of floaters: some symptoms cannot wait. At Cabinet OPHTALIFE, emergency slots are set aside every day except Sunday. Call us: your situation is assessed immediately and you will be seen the same day if needed.

Emergency slots Monday to Saturday 3 ophthalmic surgeons Fully equipped practice

Outside office hours: 24/7 eye emergency care at the Quinze-Vingts, Cochin or Fondation Rothschild hospitals — see contact details. In a life-threatening emergency, call 15 (SAMU, the French emergency medical service) or 112 (European emergency number).

Waiting room of Cabinet OPHTALIFE in Boulogne-Billancourt, where emergency eye consultations take place
Recognizing an emergency

When should you seek urgent care?

These are the main warning signs that call for a prompt ophthalmic opinion. If in doubt, call the practice: a call that turns out to be unnecessary is better than delayed treatment.

Same day
Sudden loss of vision
Total or partial loss of vision, a black or gray veil, distortion of straight lines — even without pain. The outcome depends on how quickly it is treated.
Same day
Floaters & flashes
Sudden appearance of black spots (floaters, or myodesopsia), flashes of light (photopsia) or a curtain across your field of vision: a dilated fundus examination is needed to rule out a retinal tear.
Same day
Red, painful eye
Severe eye pain, light sensitivity (photophobia), associated loss of vision: keratitis, uveitis, acute glaucoma… but also conjunctivitis and severe allergy. A slit-lamp examination allows immediate diagnosis and treatment.
Immediately
Eye injury & foreign body
A direct blow to the eye, a foreign body (metal, plant matter, embedded dust), an eyelid laceration. Do not rub your eye and do not try to remove an embedded foreign body.
Immediately — rinse first
Chemical burn
Rinse immediately for 15 minutes with clean water or saline solution, eyelids open, before doing anything else — then seek emergency care, bringing the product label.
Same day
Double vision & neuro-ophthalmology
Sudden-onset double vision (diplopia), a suddenly drooping eyelid, pupil abnormalities, marked eyelid swelling, a highly inflamed chalazion or stye. The practice handles neuro-ophthalmic emergencies, in coordination with MRI centers and hospitals.

Have you had eye surgery recently (refractive surgery, cataract, other) and now have unusual pain, increasing redness or reduced vision? Call the practice without delay, at any time of day: post-operative emergencies for our patients take priority.

Your care

What happens during an emergency consultation?

1

You call the practice

On 01 84 19 11 66 (+33 1 84 19 11 66), describe your symptoms. The team assesses how urgent your situation is and gives you initial advice (rinsing, protecting the eye, stopping contact lens wear…).

2

An emergency slot is reserved for you

Slots are blocked every day except Sunday for emergencies: you are seen at the practice the same day if your situation requires it — or referred straight to a hospital department if it demands it.

3

Full examination and treatment

Slit lamp, intraocular pressure measurement, dilated fundus examination, OCT if needed: the diagnosis is made on site and treatment started immediately (eye drops, foreign body removal, laser…).

Three complementary specialties

A team covering every kind of eye emergency

The strength of Cabinet OPHTALIFE in an emergency: three ophthalmic surgeons with complementary expertise under one roof, at 37 rue d'Aguesseau in Boulogne-Billancourt. The whole practice also handles neuro-ophthalmic emergencies, in coordination with MRI centers and hospitals.

Anterior segment · Cornea
Dr Alexandre HAGE

I treat ocular surface and corneal emergencies (red eye, keratitis, foreign bodies, abrasions, burns), eye pressure emergencies and acute glaucoma, as well as post-operative emergencies after refractive and cataract surgery.

My background →
Retina
Dr Alexandre Majoulet

A retina specialist surgeon, he handles retinal emergencies: sudden-onset floaters and flashes, suspected retinal tear or detachment, and vision loss of retinal origin.

His website ↗
Eyelids · Oculoplastics
Dr Léo Prud'homme

An oculoplastic surgeon, he handles eyelid and tear duct emergencies: eyelid lacerations, inflamed chalazia, sudden ptosis, and orbital conditions.

His website ↗
Evenings, nights, weekends and public holidays

Outside office hours: 24/7 emergency care

Three hospitals provide eye emergency care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in the Paris region (Île-de-France). You can go there directly, without an appointment.

Paris 12th
Hôpital des Quinze-Vingts

National ophthalmology hospital (Paris) — 24/7 emergency department.
28 rue de Charenton, 75012 Paris
Tel. 01 40 02 15 20

Paris 14th
OphtalmoPôle — Hôpital Cochin

AP-HP (Paris public hospitals) eye emergency department — 24/7.
8 rue Méchain, 75014 Paris (Blaise Pascal building)
Tel. 01 58 41 23 00

Paris 19th
Hôpital Fondation Rothschild

Eye emergencies for adults and children — 24/7.
29 rue Manin, 75019 Paris (27 rue Manin from 7 pm to 7 am)
Tel. 01 48 03 68 84

General medical emergency or associated symptoms (feeling faint, severe headache, weakness on one side of the body, speech difficulty): immediately call 15 (SAMU, the French emergency medical service) or 112 (European emergency number).

Frequently asked questions

Eye emergencies: your questions

Yes. Calling 01 84 19 11 66 allows us to assess how urgent your situation is, give you useful initial advice (rinsing, stopping contact lens wear, protecting the eye) and reserve the right slot for you — or direct you straight to a hospital department if your condition requires it.
An isolated red eye with no pain and no loss of vision (for example a subconjunctival hemorrhage, which looks dramatic but is harmless) is generally not a sight-threatening emergency. However, as soon as it comes with pain, light sensitivity, heavy discharge or reduced vision, it should be examined promptly. If in doubt, call the practice.
Long-standing, stable floaters are usually harmless. Warning signs are: their sudden appearance, a sudden increase in their number, repeated flashes of light or a dark curtain in your field of vision. These signs require an urgent dilated fundus examination to rule out a retinal tear — handled at the practice by Dr Majoulet, retina specialist.
The action that saves the cornea: rinse immediately and thoroughly with clean water or saline solution for at least 15 minutes, holding the eyelids open. Remove your contact lenses, do not rub, and do not apply any eye drops on your own initiative. Then seek emergency care, bringing the product label if possible.
Yes, the practice sees children in emergencies (conjunctivitis, foreign bodies, minor injuries…). For severe pediatric emergencies or those occurring at night, the Hôpital Fondation Rothschild (Paris 19th) has a 24/7 pediatric eye emergency department.
Yes. An emergency eye consultation is a medical service covered by the French national health insurance (Assurance Maladie) under the usual conditions. I practice in Sector 2 (fees above the national health insurance rate): any extra fee is stated when you call, and many complementary health insurers (mutuelles) reimburse it. See the Fees & reimbursement page.
Cabinet OPHTALIFE — Boulogne-Billancourt

Unsure about your symptoms? Call us.

Emergency slots are set aside every day except Sunday. Your situation is assessed as soon as you call, and you are seen the same day if needed.

37 rue d'Aguesseau, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt
Emergency slots Monday to Saturday
Outside office hours: 24/7 emergency care (Quinze-Vingts, Cochin, Rothschild)