Red Eye Causes, Anatomy & Treatment (PDF)

WHY DOES THE EYE GET RED? Ulfat Anjum, Lecturer, DOVS Red Eye Redness of the eye can be unilateral or bilateral. It is the primary sign of ocular inflammation usually occurring due to engorgement of superficial blood vessels or can occur when a blood vessel ruptures...

WHY DOES THE EYE GET RED? Ulfat Anjum, Lecturer, DOVS Red Eye Redness of the eye can be unilateral or bilateral. It is the primary sign of ocular inflammation usually occurring due to engorgement of superficial blood vessels or can occur when a blood vessel ruptures WHAT IS RED IN A “RED EYE”? Blood! Anatomy  ANATOMY REVIEW Anatomic location of blood in “red eye” helps narrow the differential Episclera, Sclera, Conjunctiva WHERE IS THE REDNESS ANATOMICALLY? ▪ Conjunctival Injection: ▪ Blood in t h e conjunctiva, w i t h i n p r o m i n e n t or d i l a t e d superf icial vessels. ▪ Subconjunctival hemorrhage: ▪ Blood out side of t h e vessels, b e t w e e n t h e sclera a n d the conjunctiva ▪ Hyphema: ▪ Blood w i t h i n t h e eye, poole d in t h e ant er ior c h a m b e r CONJUNCTIVAL INJECTION  CONJUNCTIVAL INJECTION ◾Blood in t h e conjunctiva, w i t h i n p r o m i n e n t or dilat ed super f ici a l vessels. ◾P a t h o l o g i e s f r o m d i f f e r e n t a n a t o m i c origins can all manifest with conjunctival injection ◾S e v e r a l d i f f e r e n t m e c h a n i s m s c a n l e a d to c o n j u n c t i v a l i n j e c t i o n ▪Inflammation ▪ I r r it at ion ▪ I nf ection ▪ Increased blood flow  CONJUNCTIVAL INJECTION ◾I d e n t i f y i n g g e o g r a p h i c patterns redness on the conjunctiva can help further n a r r o w y our d i f f e r e n t i a l ▪ Diffuse: Injection t h r o u g h o u t conjunctiva ▪ S e c t o r a l / f o c a l : Injection l i m i t e d to specific ar ea of conjunctiva ▪ Ciliary Flush: Ring of i n j e c t i o n sur r ound i n g the cornea  CONJUNCTIVAL INJECTION ◾L i d s / L a s h e s Blepharitis Post-Septal Orbital cellulitis  CONJUNCTIVAL INJECTION ◾C o n j u n c t i v a Viral Bacterial Allergic Conjunctivitis Conjunctivitis Conjunctivitis  CONJUNCTIVAL INJECTION ◾Sclera Episcleritis Scleritis  CONJUNCTIVAL INJECTION ◾C o r n e a Keratitis/Corneal Corneal Ulceration Dry Eye Abrasion  CONJUNCTIVAL INJECTION ◾A n t e r i o r C h a m b e r Acute Angle Closure Anterior Uveitis / Glaucoma Iritis SUBCONJUNCTIVAL HEMORRHAGE  SUBCONJUNCTIVAL HEMORRHAGE ◾Blood o u t s i d e of t h e vessels, b e t w e e n t h e sclera a n d the conjunctiva ◾Blood is NOT ins ide t h e eye ◾Caused by r u p t u r e of capillaries ◾Can l o o k scary (especially to patients), b u t s u b c o n j u n c t i v a l h e m o r r h a g e s usually r e q u i r e no t r e a t m e n t , resolve s p o n t a n e o u s l y a n d do NOT a f f e c t vision. HYPHEMA  HYPHEMA ◾B l o od w i t h i n t h e eye, p o o l e d in t h e a n t e r i o r c h a m b e r ◾This is a t r u e i n t r a o c u l a r hemorrhage ◾Typically c a u sed by b l u n t trauma ◾O f t e n d u e to tears in the highly vascular iris ◾T r a u m a t i c i n f l a m m a t i o n and obstruction of aqueous h u mor d r a i n a g e ca n l e ad to c o n c u r r ent c o n j u n ct i va l i n j e ct ion Etiology Causes of red eye  CONCLUSION ▪Id e ntify w h a t is red w h e n l o o k i n g a t a “ r e d eye” ▪Identify where t h e redness m a y be lo c ated a n a t o m i c a l l y ▪Learn t h e d i f f e r e n t etiologies of a “ r e d eye” Thank You