The Red Eye

Abstract

Red eye is one of the most common ocular conditions that presents in the primary care setting. Most cases are benign; however, some may cause permanent vision loss. Many conditions can be treated by primary care physicians. Therefore, it is important for the provider to be able to determine those cases that require urgent ophthalmic consultation. Most causes of red eye can be diagnosed by taking a detailed patient history and careful eye examination. Obtaining certain elements in the history can aid in determining whether an ophthalmic consultation is required. Key elements in the history include pain, decreased vision, foreign body sensation, photophobia, trauma, use of contact lens, and discharge. The assessment of clinical signs should include the location of the redness (eyelids, conjunctiva, cornea, sclera, and episclera, or intraocular), unilateral or bilateral involvement, associated symptoms (pain, itching, visual decrease or loss), and other ocular (mucopurulent discharge, watering, blepharospasm, lagophthalmus) or systemic (fever, nausea) findings [1]. Equally important is to perform a thorough ophthalmologic examination, including visual acuity, penlight examination, and fundus examination.