Referral Guidelines

Same Day Referral to Emergency Eye Service

That is, a potentially sight-threatening cause of red eye

• Acute glaucoma
• Trauma (e.g. penetrating eye injury, high velocity foreign body)
• Chemical injury – immediately irrigate the eye with water / normal saline first until pH normalises
• Corneal laceration
• Corneal foreign body which cannot be removed in primary care
• Corneal ulcer / keratitis
• Contact lens-related ulcer
• Intraocular foreign body
• Endophthalmitis
• Neonatal conjunctivitis

Urgent Referral (<24 hours) to Local Eye Clinic

• Anterior uveitis
• Scleritis

Conditions NOT Requiring Urgent Referral

Manage these conditions in primary care:

• Subconjunctival haemorrhage
• Episcleritis
• Ectropion, entropion, trichiasis
• Conjunctivitis, blepharitis
• Subtarsal / conjunctival foreign body
• Dry eye
• Corneal abrasion

References

Original Guideline