Presentation The patient complains of redness, nodular swelling, and pain in the eyelid, perhaps at the base of an eyelash (stye or external hordeolum) or deep within the lid (meibomitis, meibomianitis, or internal hordeolum, which is best appreciated with the…
Presentation Patients often present after eye injury from falling or airborne particles such as rust, particles from metal grinding, windblown grit, and wood or masonry from construction sites. The patient will complain of a foreign-body sensation and tearing and, possibly…
Presentation Low-velocity projectiles, such as windblown dust particles, can be retained in the tear film, the upper tarsal plate, or in a conjunctival sac. The patient will feel a foreign-body sensation but may not be very accurate in locating the…
Presentation Patients may present with a complaint of acute monocular floaters or flashes of light. Floaters can be described as gray or dark “blobs” or “worms” in the visual field and are caused by the interference of light moving through…
Presentation The patient may complain of eye pain or a sensation of the presence of a foreign body after direct ocular trauma. The patient may have abraded the cornea while inserting or removing a contact lens. Removal of a corneal…
Presentation A patient who wears hard, impermeable, or rigid gas-permeable contact lenses comes to the emergency department in the early morning complaining of severe eye pain after they have left their lenses in for longer than the recommended time period.…
Presentation Conjunctivitis is the most common diagnosis in patients with a red eye and discharge, but not all red eyes are the result of conjunctivitis. With bacterial conjunctivitis the patient complains of a red, irritated eye and perhaps a gritty…
Presentation An older patient, complaining of isolated “weakness” or an inability to perform the usual activities or care for oneself, comes to an acute care clinic or emergency department (ED), often brought in by family members. You’re Reading a Preview…
Presentation The patient presents with a complaint of dizziness, which may be abrupt or gradual in onset. The symptoms may be reported in many different ways, such as lightheadedness, disequilibrium, room-spinning vertigo, imbalance, wooziness, or incoordination. The patient may have…
Presentation The patient experiences a brief loss of consciousness, preceded by a feeling of lightheadedness, a sense of warmth and nausea, and the awareness of passing out. This may or may not be accompanied by weakness and diaphoresis. In addition,…