This should be treated with intensive topical antibiotics for one week. The differential diagnosis for red eye is broad because many ophthalmic conditions masquerade as conjunctivitis table. Red eye is a catch all term for the inflamed or injected external appearance of the eye, for which there are many causes. Conjunctivitis allergic or viral is probably the most common cause of red eye in the community setting, but a number of more serious conditions can also occur 1,2. A small percentage of patients with red eye need urgent ophthalmological referral and treatment, although the vast majority can be treated by the primary care clinician. Viral conjunctivitis viral conjunctivitis is a common condition characterized. Differential diagnosis of common causes of the inflamed eye. Pertinent information is succinctly provided for each disorder including diagnostic signs, ocular and systemic associations, causes, and other indicators relating to patient history and confirmation of diagnosis.
In very severe cases, particularly in young men, you should consider doing a gram stain to look for gonococcus, and you should ask specifically about symptoms of urethritis. Anamnesis systemic disease eye disease devolopment of difficulties character of diffuculties. The differential diagnosis includes both benign and sightthreatening conditions. The differential diagnoses of a red eye are broad, but with a succinct history and physical examination, the diagnosis can be readily identified in many patients. Meds, snellen test, cataract items, intraocular eye pressure range. Viral conjunctivitis is the most common cause of infectious conjunctivitis both. The red eye international council of ophthalmology. Request pdf on jul 1, 2010, glenda smith and others published differential diagnosis of red eye find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Additionally, the audience will learn how to recognize more serious, visionthreatening red eye disorders for prompt referral to an ophthalmologist. Red eye red eye is sign of pathology of anterior or posterior ocular segment, of orbit or of ocular adnexa.
Acute vision loss is a frightening experience for patients and has the potential for longterm consequences. Conjunctivitis is the most common cause of red eye. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Differential diagnosis of the red eye carol slight nurse practitioner ophthalmology. With dry eye syndrome, your tear glands dont make enough tears or your tears evaporate too fast. Patients with ocular emergencies should be referred to an ophthalmologist at once, as should all patients whose diagnosis is in doubt. Conjunctivitis and subconjunctival hemorrhage are two of the less serious but more common causes management includes assessing whether emergency action including referral. Differential diagnosis of conjunctivitis and the red eye. Eye education for emergency clinicians 20 conclusion remember beware of the red eye. Olopatadine eye drops combine antihistamine and mast cell stabilisation activity. The diagnostic approach to the red or painful eye begins with identifying a history of caustic exposure where immediate and copious irrigation even before detailed. Jul 27, 2015 red eye is a common presentation in primary care and is a sign of inflammation. Misdiagnosis is a major medicolegal pitfall, in that the truly emergent conditions that may cause red eye have major visionthreatening sequelae. Conjunctiva pupil cornea anterior chamber iop subconjunctival haemorrhage.
Differential diagnosis of red eye slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. This pocket sized book summaries the key points in the ophthalmology curriculum complied by the task force of the international council of ophthalmology and is a format that is very portable. Differential dx strategies university of massachusetts. The red eye has an extensive differential diagnosis. Click on the image or right click to open the source website in a new browser.
It can occur either unilaterally or bilaterally and generally develops before the first five years of life. Red eye severe pain in, around eye frontal headache blurred vision, halos seen around lights nausea, vomiting pupil fixed, middilated, slightly larger than contralateral side elevated iop corneal haze anterior segment disorders. Have access to a differential diagnosis every time. When in doubt ophthalmology consult 64091 please, please, pleasecheck the vision prior to calling. In the emergency department, 75% of ophthalmologic complaints are due to conjunctivitis, corneal abrasions, or foreign bodies. Iceh 2006, international centre for eye health, london school of hygiene and tropical medicine, keppel street, london wc1e 7ht, uk. At those times adding a different strategy often reveals more conditions. Uveitis in patients more than 60 years of age is less common. It is important to differentiate whether the person presenting with red eye needs same day assessment by an ophthalmologist, or if they can be safely managed in primary care.
History and eye examination the most important findings in a patient with a red eye are the presence of pain, photophobia or reduced visual acuity table 1, page. Conjunctivitis can affect one or both eyes and is the most likely diagnosis. The differential diagnosis is so large that the caregiver must be comfortable with all diagnoses and must be able to distinguish between them. The differential diagnosis for optic neuritis includes ischaemic.
Find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Differential diagnosis of red eye with no injury management of a red. The first page of the pdf of this article appears above. The accuracy of the edinburgh red eye diagnostic algorithm. Most cases will be due to relatively benign problems. The aging body has a changing response of the immune system, which might reflect a different pattern of uveitis in the elderly. Differential diagnosis of red eye conjunctiva pupil cornea anterior chamber iop subconjunctival haemorrhage bright red normal normal normal normal conjunctivitis injected vessels, fornices. The red eye hsv keratitis anterior uveitis subconjunctival haemorrhage corneal ulcer episcleritis scleritis acute angle closure glaucoma conjunctivitis red eye.
Strategies for generating differential diagnoses a number of different strategies can be used to generate a differential diagnosis. The red eye challenge litfl ophthalmology befuddler. The red eye in children is a frequent complaint in general practice. The diagnosis of the cause of red eye can be a challenge for the pediatrician because the differential diagnosis includes a wide range of diseases, some potentially serious vision and given that the childs eye visual function is developing. Starts one eye within 2days fellow eye affected itchy watery discharge history of allergies signs purulent discharge chemosis caution. Differential diagnosis of red eye linkedin slideshare. The red or painful eye is a common presentation in the emergency department and the rapid identification and management of potentially sightthreatening causes is critical. Prompt diagnosis and treatment may influence the visual outcome. Mar 17, 2009 differential diagnosis of red eye slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Importance of the red reflex test in the diagnosis of eye cancer abstract retinoblastoma is themost common malignant tumour of eye in children and accounts for 3% of all childhood cancers.
Although most red eyes seen in the primary care setting are a result of. Question 6 what is the treatment for jasons ocular condition and general condition. Chemosis of the conjunctiva is a type of eye inflammation, which causes the eyelids to swell. Authored by susan lightman posted on may 14, 2010 topic.
Discharge normal normal normal normal iritis injected around cornea small, fixed, irregular normal, kps turgid, deep normal. Conjunctivitis scratchy or gritty sensation hyperacute bacterial conjunctivitis. Medical student education 1 rating pdf 885 kb download susan lightman, frcp, frcophth, phd, professor of clinical ophthalmology at moorfields eye hospital, london, 2007. Differential diagnosis armed with clues from the clinical history and physical examination, we can proceed to a logical anatomical and mechanistic breakdown of the causes of the red eye clinical entities summarised in table 2. Signs and symptoms include red eye, purulent or mucopurulent.
This a2 size poster covers the differential diagnosis and primary level management of red eyes with no injury. May 02, 2015 algorithm for the evaluation of the red eye 6. These can be classified according which structure is abnormal. Iritis injected around cornea small, fixed, irregular normal, kps turgid, deep normal. Pdf differential diagnosis of red eye researchgate.
Differential diagnosis of the red eye semantic scholar. This corresponds to an average of 4 to 10 patients every week, the majority of whom have clinically apparent red eye. The diagnosis of the cause of red eye can be a challenge for the pediatrician because the differential diagnosis includes a. Conjunctivitis and subconjunctival hemorrhage are two of the less serious but more common causes. Are the following associated with sudden or gradual vision loss acute angleclosure glaucoma central retinal vessel occlusion hyphema or other trauma endophthalmitis iritis or uveitis migraine optic neuritis retinal hemorrhage macular area stroke vitreous hemorrhage corneal ulcer giant cell arteritis temporal arteritis. The condition is usually benign and can be managed by primary care physicians. Red eye is a common presentation in primary care and is a sign of inflammation.
There are little epidemiologic data on the red eye, and there are no evidencebased data to guide us in the management of these patients. A worrisome sign that a red eye is caused by a serious intraocular cause is the presence of perilimbal injection otherwise known as a. Acute red eye differential diagnosis conjunctivitis keratitis uveitisiritis acute angle closure glaucoma scleritis episcleritis. Assessment of red eye differential diagnosis of symptoms. A careful history is key to narrowing the differential diagnosis and will allow for a more focused physical examination. A detailed history of the presenting symptoms and previous ophthalmological and medical history can narrow the differential diagnosis and aid in the interpretation of key examination findings. A red eye is an eye that appears red due to illness or injury. Pdf on jul 1, 2004, chris hodge and others published unilateral red eye. Jan 15, 2010 red eye is the cardinal sign of ocular inflammation. Gonococcal conjunctivitis sudden onset 12 24 hrs conjunctival follicles watery mucus discharge red oedematous eyelids chemosis red oedematous eyelids. This problem is more common in older adults and in those with certain diseases, such as diabetes, allergic conjunctivitis, or sjogrens syndrome. After generating a differential, you may decide that you would like to expand upon it.
Blepharitis, hordeolum, and chalazion are associated with a localized red, swol len, tender eyelid. Apr 15, 2009 ring around the diagnosis ring infiltrates dont necessarily appear earlyor at allin a case of acanthamoeba keratitis. Every physician has been faced with the symptom red eye 1 3. The diagnostic accuracy of nonophthalmologists when assessing patients presenting with red eye s is greater when the algorithm is used. Serious and potentially sightthreatening causes of red eye include.
Differential diagnosis of red eye red eyes are commonly encountered in optometric practice and it is imperative that the eyecare practitioner is able to formulate an appropriate differential diagnosis in order to manage patients effectively and expeditiously. The program takes an anatomic approach to common red eye disorders and their. The many causes of acute vision loss and the timesensitive need for evaluation and treatment pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. In general emergency rooms or in hospitals without a consulting. Redness in the eye can be caused by many conditions and injuries that can lead to irritation, blood in the eye, or swelling of blood vessels. Clinical evaluation of red eyes in pediatric patients. Periorbital cellulitis is an infection of your eyelid or the skin around your eyes. Differential diagnosis for conjunctival hyperemia red eye because of its location fig. Acute angleclosure glaucoma aacg is an ocular emergency and receives distinction due to its acute presentation, need for immediate treatment, and wellestablished anatomic pathology.
Although the exact incidence of diagnoses presenting as a red eye is not well defined, most are benign. Show full abstract mucous membrane covering the shit of the eye and inside of the eyelids, can be acute or chronic, and causes can be infectious bacterial or viral, allergic, and traumatic e. The differential diagnosis of red eye can be narrowed down rapidly with simple baseline tests and targeted questioning. A red eye is a nonspecific term to describe an eye that appears red due to illness or. Conjunctivitis is the most common cause of red eye and is one of the leading indica tions for antibiotics. Management of the red eye for the primary care physician. Diagnosis and management of red eye in primary care. A symptom common to eye impairments is conjunctivitis, or red eye, a commonly seen manifestation in an ambulatory pediatric population. These images are a random sampling from a bing search on the term acute red eye.
It is usually injection and prominence of the superficial blood vessels of the conjunctiva, which may be caused by disorders of these or adjacent structures. According to one study, eye problems are the reason for 2 to 3% of visits to primary care physicians and emergency facilities. Important questions to ask in the history are shown in table 2. Painful andor red eye differential diagnosis at a glance. This article examines possible causes of conjunctivitis after the neonatal period in this population. A focused history can help make a definitive diagnosis. Importance of the red reflex test in the diagnosis of eye. Learn more about other symptoms and how to treat them. The most common cause of red eye presenting in a primary care setting is conjunctivitis. Adults can get it, but children under 2 are most likely to have it. Viral conjunctivitis most common cause of red eye allergic irritant conjunctivitis bacterial conjunctivitis neonatal conjunctivitis ophthalmia neonatorum blepharitis hordeolum stye chalazion bacterial endophthalmitis fungal endophthalmitis keratitis corneal inflammation bacterial or viral. Differential diagnosis of pediatric conjunctivitis red. Nov 19, 2018 glaucoma is a nonspecific term used for several ocular diseases that ultimately result in increased intraocular pressure iop and decreased visual acuity.
Painful or red eye differential diagnosis productive medic. A painful red eye answer 1 the differential diagnosis of a unilateral red eye is shown in table 1. Acquired corneal neuropathy and photoallodynia associated with malposition of an express shunt. The challenge lies in discerning one from the other. If youre stuck for a differential diagnosis, fall back on working through the anatomical components of the eye and running through a pathophysiological sieve. Acute red eye is a common presenting complaint to primary care physicians. A small proportion of red eye cases are serious and need urgent treatment. This reference is an essential, first of its kind tool in ophthalmology specifically geared toward differential diagnosis. And, they can present with a host of other eye conditions. Certain strategies work better for different symptoms. The diagnostic accuracy of the edinburgh red eye diagnostic algorithm is 72, rising to 76% when only the most serious red eye s causes are included. This topic will present an overview of the approach to patients with acute persistent visual loss. Conjunctivitis is the most common cause of red eye and is one of the leading indications for antibiotics.
Uveitis is a vision threatening inflammation of the eye that carries considerable morbidity. The entire conjunctiva is red and eye is discharging pus on the lower lid and on the eyelashes. From a mechanistic viewpoint, the eye will assume a red appearance whenever there is an increased pres. Diagnosis and management of pediatric conjunctivitis. Even so,\u003cbr \\u003e\nthe absence of headache should not hinder diagnosis, given the fact that,\u003cbr \\u003e\nin one study where a comparison of clinical features was made between\u003cbr \\u003e\npatients with initial misdiagnosis of sah vs counterparts with correct\u003cbr \\u003e\ninitial diagnosis, headache was absent in 4 out of. I like jeff manns approach to red eye he breaks the causes down into 3 groups.
The following red flags point to other more serious diagnoses, such as keratitis inflammation of the cornea, iritis, or angle closure glaucoma. Started in 1995, this collection now contains 6769 interlinked topic pages divided into a tree of 31 specialty books and 732 chapters. Red eye is the cardinal sign of ocular inflammation. Jun 11, 2019 the differential diagnosis is so large that the caregiver must be comfortable with all diagnoses and must be able to distinguish between them. Unilateral red eye changes it is usually unilateral.
Because conjunctivitis is caused by various etiologies, clinicians must derive a differential diagnosis. Superficial keratitis differential diagnosis based on distribution. Transient visual loss, the differential diagnosis of the red eye, and specific causes of acute vision loss are discussed separately. Conjunctivitis accounts for over 25% of all eye complaints seen. Eye education for emergency clinicians 4 introduction normally the eye has a strong resistance. There is a wide differential diagnosis for red eye. Practioners are often confronted with a patient who presents with the red eye.
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