Differentiating Urgent and Emergent Causes of Acute Red Eye for the Emergency Physician
- PMID: 28435504
- PMCID: PMC5391903
- DOI: 10.5811/westjem.2016.12.31798
Differentiating Urgent and Emergent Causes of Acute Red Eye for the Emergency Physician
Abstract
Patients commonly present with an acute red eye to the emergency department (ED). It is important to distinguish between benign and sight-threatening diagnoses. Here we provide a comprehensive overview on the acute red eye in the ED.
Conflict of interest statement
Conflicts of Interest: By the WestJEM article submission agreement, all authors are required to disclose all affiliations, funding sources and financial or management relationships that could be perceived as potential sources of bias. The authors disclosed none.
Figures










Similar articles
-
Direct ophthalmoscopy versus slit lamp biomicroscopy in diagnosis of the acute red eye.J R Soc Med. 1998 Mar;91(3):127-8. doi: 10.1177/014107689809100303. J R Soc Med. 1998. PMID: 9659322 Free PMC article. Clinical Trial.
-
Red eyes in children: red flags and a case to learn from.Br J Gen Pract. 2016 Dec;66(653):633-634. doi: 10.3399/bjgp16X688309. Br J Gen Pract. 2016. PMID: 27884914 Free PMC article. No abstract available.
-
Red eye for the internist: when to treat, when to refer.Cleve Clin J Med. 2008 Feb;75(2):137-44. doi: 10.3949/ccjm.75.2.137. Cleve Clin J Med. 2008. PMID: 18290357 Review.
-
Diagnosis and management of the acute red eye.Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2008 Feb;26(1):35-55, vi. doi: 10.1016/j.emc.2007.10.002. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2008. PMID: 18249256 Review.
-
Strategies for improvement of management of ocular complications in leprosy.Indian J Lepr. 1998 Jan-Mar;70(1):61-70. Indian J Lepr. 1998. PMID: 9598406
Cited by
-
A Closed-Loop Audit: The Assessment of Red Flags and Management of Acute Conjunctivitis in Primary Care.Cureus. 2025 May 8;17(5):e83735. doi: 10.7759/cureus.83735. eCollection 2025 May. Cureus. 2025. PMID: 40486445 Free PMC article.
-
Pediatric uveitis: Role of the pediatrician.Front Pediatr. 2022 Aug 1;10:874711. doi: 10.3389/fped.2022.874711. eCollection 2022. Front Pediatr. 2022. PMID: 35979409 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Pediatricians' knowledge, attitude and practice on treating children with red eye disease.BMC Ophthalmol. 2023 Feb 13;23(1):65. doi: 10.1186/s12886-022-02755-7. BMC Ophthalmol. 2023. PMID: 36782135 Free PMC article.
-
A Review of the Differential Diagnosis of Acute Infectious Conjunctivitis: Implications for Treatment and Management.Clin Ophthalmol. 2020 Mar 12;14:805-813. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S236571. eCollection 2020. Clin Ophthalmol. 2020. PMID: 32210533 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Therapeutic efficacy of topical blockade of substance P in experimental allergic red eye.Ocul Surf. 2022 Oct;26:184-190. doi: 10.1016/j.jtos.2022.08.008. Epub 2022 Sep 5. Ocul Surf. 2022. PMID: 36067981 Free PMC article.
References
-
- Alfonso SA, Fawley JD, Alexa Lu X. Conjunctivitis. Prim Care. 2015;42(3):325–45. - PubMed
-
- Diaz JD, Sobol EK, Gritz DC. Treatment and Management of Scleral Disorders. Surv Ophthalmol. 2016;61(6):702–17. - PubMed
-
- Ahmed F, House RJ, Feldman BH. Corneal abrasions and corneal foreign bodies. Prim Care. 2015;42(3):363–75. - PubMed
-
- Kongau Y, Henkind P. Pain elicited by consensual pupillary reflex: A diagnostic test for acute iritis. Lancet. 1981;2(8258):1254–5. - PubMed
-
- Prum BE, Jr, Herndon LW, Jr, Moroi SE, et al. Primary angle closure Preferred Practice Pattern(®) guidelines. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(1):1–40. - PubMed
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical
Molecular Biology Databases