Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2019 Aug;16(8):957-966.
doi: 10.1513/AnnalsATS.201812-848CME.

Ophthalmology in Critical Care

Priyanka H Parekh  1 , Charline S Boente  1 , Ryan D Boente  2 , Jared W Meeker  2 , W Graham Carlos  2
Affiliations
Review

Ophthalmology in Critical Care

Priyanka H Parekh et al. Ann Am Thorac Soc. 2019 Aug.

Abstract

Ophthalmic disease encountered in the intensive care unit (ICU) has a wide spectrum of prevalence and severity. Prolonged exposure of the cornea is common and preventable. Trauma, glaucoma, infection, vascular disease, and burns are among the potential causes of vision loss. Patients are predisposed to ocular complications by the ICU environment and critical illness itself. Critically ill patients require prioritization of life-sustaining interventions, and less emphasis is placed on ophthalmic disease, leading to missed opportunities for vision-saving intervention. It is therefore imperative for intensivists, nurses, and other providers to have an increased awareness and understanding of the broad range of ocular conditions potentially seen in the ICU.

Keywords: endophthalmitis; eye neoplasms; glaucoma; optic nerve diseases; retinitis.

PubMed Disclaimer