Primary Care Eye ERs

Posted on Jun 11, 2010 in Expired CME | 0 comments

Red Eye Emergencies Not to Miss in Primary Care

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize at least 3 red eye emergencies that can cause rapid blindness and should be promptly referred to an ophthalmologist
• Identify proper testing approaches to examine red eye emergencies most presented in primary care
• Identify 2 topical agents that can potentially worsen a red eye condition

Overview

In our current healthcare environment, primary care clinicians are often at the frontline of caring for a myriad of acute care issues including diagnosing and managing eye disease. The red eye is the most common ocular disorder and accounts for almost 2% of all primary care patient visits.[1-3] The term “red eye” describes a large number of diseases that exhibit conjunctival or scleral vascular injection. Although most red eye conditions are benign, some can represent medical emergencies. A recent survey showed considerable variability in how primary care cli-nicians manage the red eye.[4] This is not surprising considering the minimal time devoted to ophthalmic education in medical schools.[5] To complicate matters, eye diseases are difficult to diagnose because of the complexities involved in performing a proper eye exam. Early clinical recognition is absolutely essential as some red eye emergencies can rapidly cause permanent blindness if not identified (Table 1). This article will focus on how to recognize important red eye emergencies that may present in the primary care setting.

This activity has expired and is no longer available for CME; however, we hope you still enjoy the education.