Ophthalmic emergencies Flashcards
What are the symptoms of anterior eye problems
Red and painful
What are the symptoms of posterior eye problems
White, painless, visual loss
What is the different between the discharge of viral, bacterial, and allergic conjunctivitis?
Viral: watery
Bacterial: purulent
Allergic: springy
What is exotropia?
When one eye deviates outwards
If its a photo, you can tell because one eye will have the the light reflection and the other won’tw
What is age-related macula degeneration?
The eye looses it’s ability to filter out metabolites over time so they build up in the eye
Causes a blur in the central vision
Can be wet or dry (dry can turn into wet and wet develops faster)
What are Dot/blot haemorrhages with hard exudate?
Diabetic retinopathy signs
What is neo-vacuolisation of ophthalmology?
When new blood vessels grow after trauma like infection
They can leak and cause vision loss
What is drusen?
Deposits of lipids, proteins, and cellular debris which are found within the layers of the retina
Appear as white-yellow dots on an eye scan
What is copper wiring of vessels?
When the walls of the arterioles become thickened and sclerosed and reflect more light on examination
What are the risk factors for acute angle-closure glaucoma?
Increasing age
Family history
Female (four times more likely than males)
Chinese and East Asian ethnic origin
Shallow anterior chamber
What are the different types of glaucoma?
- Open-angle glaucoma: chronic progressive increase in pressure. It’s irreversible
- Angle-closure glaucoma: sudden increase in pressure
- Congenital glaucoma: caused by incorrect development of the eye’s drainage system
- Secondary glaucoma: when the cause of the eye’s pressure increase is obvious Eg. injury, inflammation, steroids, cataract, diabetes
What is a cataract?
When the lens develops cloudy patches
Treated with replacement of the lens
What is microbial keratitis?
A corneal ulcer, a sight threatening infection and inflammation of the eye
- More common in contact lens users
Symptoms: worsening pain, discharge, conjunctivitis
Treatment: topical antimicrobials and analgesics
What is a corneal abrasion?
A scratch on the cornea
What is hypopyon?
The accumulation of white blood cells that form a whitish layer of fluid in the lower portion of the eye’s anterior chamber
Indicates severe inflammation/infection
Which type of chemical eye injury is most sevre?
Alkali burns because they penetrate deeper. Acid coagulates proteins, forming a protective barrier
How are suspected chemical burns treated
The eye is irrigated until pH neutralises before any examination takes place
What are some clinical findings of a chemical injury to the eye?
Conjunctival hyperaemia: red and dilated vessels
Corneal haze: marked haze with an impaired view of the underlying iris and pupil implies severe injury. A clear cornea with an unimpaired view indicates milder injury and a better prognosis
Blanched blood vessels: areas of blanched blood vessels along the corneoscleral junction indicates limbal ischaemia
What is a retinoblastoma?
When the retinal nerve cells grow uncontrollably due to an inherited mutation in the RB1 gene on chromosome 13
What are the clinical features of retinoblastoma?
- Unilateral/bilateral vision loss
- Strabismus
- Leukocoria (white pupil appearance)
- Red and painful eye
- Bulging of eye
What is Strabismus?
Misalignment of the eye causing one to deviate to the side while the other eye remains focused
What is the treatment for retinoblastoma?
- Chemotherapies for large tumours
- Local therapies like cryo/laser therapy for smaller tumours
- Radiotherapy
- Surgical removal of eye
What is the prognosis for retinoblastoma?
5-year survival: 97%
Death is rare and mostly caused by spread of tumours via the meninges or optic nerve
What is the most common intraocular cancer in children?
Retinoblastoma
What is hyphaema?
Haemorrhage in the anterior chamber caused by blunt trauma to the eye
