Ophthalmology for the general doctor
The eye exam, red eye, emergencies and when to refer.
96 pages
Start here
- ExaminationEye movements and the cover testThe corneal light reflex, the cover tests and the nine positions of gaze show whether the eyes…
- Clinical approachEye pain and painful visual lossEye pain with reduced vision is almost always serious
- EmergencyEye emergencies: minutes, hours or daysA few eye emergencies are lost in minutes, others in hours or days
- Anatomy and physiologyExtraocular muscles and the cardinal positions of gazeSix muscles move each eye, supplied by three nerves
- Eye and systemic diseaseEye signs that point to a systemic diseaseA ring in the cornea, a dislocated lens or spots in the retina can give away a systemic disease
- TopicEnucleation, evisceration and the artificial eyeA blind, painful eye or an eye with a tumour can be removed
- Drugs and toxicitySystemic drugs that harm the eyeMany common drugs affect the eye, from harmless corneal deposits to blindness
- Clinical approachThe tearing or red-eyed infantMost watery or red eyes in babies are a blocked tear duct or conjunctivitis
Areas
- The eye exam16 pagesEye movements and the cover test · Gonioscopy: looking into the drainage angle · Contrast sensitivity and glare testing
- Approach by symptom14 pagesEye pain and painful visual loss · Red eye: what is serious and what is not · Double vision: monocular or binocular
- Ocular emergencies and trauma12 pagesEye emergencies: minutes, hours or days · Central retinal artery occlusion: an eye stroke · Retinal detachment: how fast to refer
- Clinical anatomy and physiology11 pagesExtraocular muscles and the cardinal positions of gaze · The orbit, orbital septum and eyelids · Blood supply of the retina and choroid
- The eye in systemic disease10 pagesEye signs that point to a systemic disease · Neurological disease seen in the eye · Rheumatic and autoimmune disease in the eye
- Eye surgery and procedures8 pagesEnucleation, evisceration and the artificial eye · Eyelid and brow surgery: blepharoplasty and brow ptosis · After cataract surgery: the complications the general doctor sees
- Ophthalmic drugs and toxicity8 pagesSystemic drugs that harm the eye · Intravitreal anti-VEGF injections · Steroid eye drops: glaucoma, cataract and infection
- Paediatric ophthalmology7 pagesThe tearing or red-eyed infant · Neonatal conjunctivitis and its prevention · Childhood vision screening by age
- Refraction and vision6 pagesLow vision and visual rehabilitation · Contact lenses: types and complications · Cycloplegic refraction and retinoscopy
- Referral and eye health in Colombia4 pagesWhen to refer to ophthalmology: urgent, soon or routine · Avoidable blindness: the main causes in the world and in Colombia · Visual screening in Colombia: what the RIAS ask for
A to Z
About this section
What every doctor needs to know about the eye: anatomy and physiology with a clinical point, how to examine it (visual acuity, visual fields, slit lamp, tonometry), how to approach each symptom (red eye, visual loss, eye pain, diplopia, leukocoria, floaters), what to do in an eye emergency, refraction, the eye in systemic disease, paediatric ophthalmology, ophthalmic drugs and their toxicity, and when to refer. Every page ends with the next step: workup, first-line management and referral criteria. Eye diseases are condition pages; each page links them.
Educational content; not a clinical guideline and no substitute for assessment by a health professional. For sudden visual loss, severe eye pain, a chemical burn or an eye injury, go to an emergency department at once.
Representative model, for educational purposes only.