Red Eye Referral
NICE CKS Red Eye. Last revised: May 2021
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
Red painful eye +/- visual impairment → refer!
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