[Summary of the practice guideline 'The red eye' (first revision) of the Dutch College of General Practitioners (NHG)].

Abstract

The revised NHG-guideline 'The red eye' provides recommendations for the diagnosis and therapy in patients with a red eye. In the presence of pain, decreased visual acuity and photophobia (alarm symptoms) should be considered as sight threatening conditions. In most instances a red eye results from conjunctivitis. The complaint of (an) early morning glued eye(s) makes a bacterial origin of acute infectious conjunctivitis more likely. Itching and a history of infectious conjunctivitis make the probability of bacterial involvement less likely. The type of discharge does not help to adequately distinguish bacterial from viral conjunctivitis. Since an infectious conjunctivitis is a self-limiting condition, no treatment is necessary as a rule. Antibiotic treatment is only rational if conjunctivitis is (most probably) caused by bacteria. It has to be considered only if a patient suffers from much discomfort, if complaints do not begin to decline after 3 days and in patients with preexisting corneal defects. Because of widespread resistance to fusidic acid this should in principle not be prescribed for treatment of conjunctivitis; chloramphenicol is still the drug of choice. During revision of the guideline discussions concentrated on 2 aspects: the position of slit lamp biomicroscopy in general practice and giving a patient with keratoconjunctivitis photoelectrica the remainder of a 'minim' with anaesthetic eye drops. Regarding both topics it was decided not to change the recommendations of the former version of the guideline: the use of slit lamp biomicroscopy remains optional for general practitioners and it remains permitted to give the remainder of a 'minim' with anaesthetic eye drops to a patient with keratoconjunctivitis photoelectrica.

• Authors: G M van der Weele, R P Rietveld, Tj Wiersma, A N Goudswaard
• Journal: Nederlands tijdschrift voor geneeskunde (Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd) Vol. 151 Issue 22 Pg. 1232-7 (Jun 02 2007) ISSN: 0028-2162 [Print] Netherlands
• Vernacular Title: Samenvatting van de standaard 'Het rode oog' (eerste herziening) van het Nederlands Huisartsen Genootschap.
• PMID: 17583091 (Publication Type: English Abstract, Journal Article, Practice Guideline)

Chemical References

• Anti-Bacterial Agents

Topics

• Anti-Bacterial Agents (therapeutic use)
• Conjunctivitis (diagnosis, drug therapy)
• Eye Diseases (diagnosis, therapy)
• Family Practice (standards)
• Humans
• Netherlands
• Practice Patterns, Physicians'
• Societies, Medical