Eye emergencies can lead to blindness, and even death, in a very short period of time. Early and appropriate intervention – sometimes within a matter of hours – is crucial. We have designed this issue to help you plan and prepare for the most common eye emergencies. Learn to recognise each emergency, use our checklists to ensure you and your team have everything you need, and practise, practise, practise!

A special article for our South Asian readers is on pages 73 to 76. Ocular emergencies are an important cause of morbidity in South Asia and eye care providers at different levels must be able to diagnose, manage, initiate first-aid and refer during an ocular emergency.