This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Referral criteria from primary care - conjunctivitis

Authoring team

The majority of cases of conjunctivitis do not require investigation or referral. The following cases should be referred to an ophthalmologist:

  • neonatal conjunctivitis
  • chronic conjunctivitis
  • if the conjunctivitis does not respond to the initial treatment (if there is no improvement in 7 to 10 days) (1)
  • if there are corneal changes associated with the conjunctivitis
  • conjunctivitis with blurring of vision or pain as opposed to discomfort, and
  • sicca (i.e. dry eye syndromes)

If the conjunctivitis is a case of sexually-associated infection then it is essential to refer the patient and contacts to the genitourinary medicine department.

References:

  1. Leibowitz HM. The Red eye. NEJM 2000; 343:345.
  2. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Conjunctivitis preferred practice pattern. Nov 2018 [internet publication]

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.