Red Eye Flashcards
What can cause bilateral red eye?
- Conjunctivitis
- Blepharitis
- Dry eye syndrome
What is the difference between ectropion and entropion?
- Ectropion - outward eyelid turning (generally CNVII palsy)
- Entropion - inward eyelid turning (generally congenital/scarring/trachoma)
What is blepharitis? How can it present?
- Inflammation of the eyelid
- Tends to be bilateral, painful red-eye, with a crusted, tender, red eyelid
What is a chalazion?
A cyst in the eyelid
Describe the definitional and clinical difference between pre- and post-septal cellulitis of the orbit. How are they treated?
- Pre and post-septal refer to the membrane joining the orbital periosteum to the tarsal plates
- Clinically, this results in a pre-orbital cellulitis that is confined to the outer eyelid and orbit and can be treated by oral antibiotics
- Post-orbital cellulitis results in conjunctival chemosis (swelling), proptosis and raised IOP. THis is much more severe and requires IVAB +/- drainage
What is most commonly associated with the development of dry eye syndrome?
On examination, what are you likely to find?
- Connective tissue disorders (e.g. Sjogren’s syndrome)
- Age
- Blepharitis
- Punctate epithelial erosions
What most commonly causes conjunctivitis? How does it present?
- Bacterial infection (also viral)
- Purulent discharge and bilateral red eye (viral shows a clear discharge)
What is a pterygium?
A triangular overgrowth of conjunctiva related to sun exposure
What are the most common causes of sub-conjunctival haemorrhage?
Trauma, coughing, anticoagulation
How is scleritis likely to present? What conditions is it associated with?
- Associated with RA, SLE and other connective tissue disordes and vasculidities
- Unilateral red eye with engorged deep vessels, violaceous hue, aching pain that disturbs sleep and possible vision effects
How might you identify a penetrating eye injury if not immediately obvious?
- Fluorescein staining - streaming aqueous humour displacing the dye (positive Seidel’s sign) indicates a penetrating injury
What are the most common causes of keratitis of the eye? How do they present clinically and what predisposes to them?
- Bacterial and viral (HSV)
- Predisposition - contact lens use
- Present with unilateral red eye +/- photophobia, corneal opacification.
- Fluorescein stain may highlight a dendritic ulcer (HSV) or a rounded, demarcated ulcer (bacterial)
What are you likely to find on presentation in a person with iritis? What is it associated with?
- IBD, spondyloarthropathies
- Photophobia/altered vision, altered pupil reactivity +/- hypopyon (exudate in anterior chamber)
What is hyphaemia?
Blood in the anterior chamber (usually traumatic and self-resolving)
What is endophthalmitis, and what causes it?
- Inflammation of the interior chambers of the eye
- Caused by surgery, trauma, haematogenous seeding (e.g. endocarditis)
