Visual disturbances

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• Acute perception of floaters (’cobwebs’ within the visual field) and/or flashes.

• Acute loss of central or peripheral vision. This can be perceived as a black curtain covering a part of the visual field. It may affect the central vision to the extent of not recognizing faces or might present as a severe visual distortion.

• When visual loss is accompanied by headaches or vomiting, a more sinister pathology might be present.

 

       Painful eye

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• Painful eye(or rarely bilateral eye pain). When the ache is associated with significant injection,  severe infection or inflammation might be the cause. This might affect the external part of the eye called conjunctiva(thin, normally transparent layer which covers the white part of the eyeball and the inside part of the eyelids), the cornea or the interior part of the eye.

• Eye ache which worsens with ocular movements might suggest an inflammation of the optic nerve or the extraocular muscles.

• Painful eye associated with decrease in visual acuity or even vision loss necessitates urgent review. In the case of contact lens use, they need to be removed the soonest even before contacting the specialist.

* patients who are recovering from a recent eye-surgery or any treatment including intraocular injections should be extra sensitive in contacting their surgeon.

 

       Eye traumas

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• Any trauma in the eye can potentially have a severe short or long-term impact in the function of the eye and always warrants review by a specialist.

• Chemical burns should always be washed out thoroughly with clean water even before getting in touch with your eye doctor.

 

       Diplopia (double vision)

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• When objects appear double, looking through both eyes, without a history of diplopia, care should be sought. Even before examining the patient, a detailed history could guide the specialist towards a correct diagnostic pathway.

 

      Child squint(strabismus)

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• During the first years of life when the visual development takes place (zero to approximately 7years of age), any ocular deviation should be addressed in order to prevent amblyopia(lazy eye). After ruling out any sinister pathology, the specialist will need to correct refractive errors with spectacles and consider surgery and amblyopia treatment depending on the case.

 

       Eyelid ptosis (droopy eyelid)

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• An acute eyelid ptosis (without any prior history), might suggest neurologic pathology which requires a thorough diagnostic approach.

*Any eyelid malposition can be documented with a picture and a first-line-phone consultation could help     distinguish the cases which require urgent attention.

 

      Painful eyelid

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• Although most of the times this symptom suggests a benign condition like a stye or an inflamed cyst associated with blepharitis (eyelid margin inflammation), it still needs attention particularly in children. The reason is that in the rare event when the infection/inflammation extends towards the back of the eye, systemic antibiotics and hospitalization is required.

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The aforementioned advice is only a simplified guide which cannot substitute contacting an eye-specialist. There is also a grey zone of symptoms that might be long present or might not be that severe, but still require attention.

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In addition, the fact that children often cannot describe their symptoms, should keep the threshold for contacting the specialist low.

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Other categories of patients who should be extra cautious regarding their eye health include diabetics, high myopes (highly short-sighted), immunosuppressed patients and those with autoimmune disorders.

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My private practice’s  address, phone (2661105159) and e-mail can be found at the home page www.eye-therapy.gr. Please do not hesitate to contact me for a phone consultation or to arrange an appointment if needed.

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Petros Emmanouilidis, MD,FEBO

Ophthalmic & Oculoplastic sugeon

50, I. Theotoki, Corfu

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