Ocular foreign body

Differential Diagnosis

Unilateral red eye

• Nontraumatic
  • Acute angle-closure glaucoma^
  • Anterior uveitis
  • Conjunctivitis
  • Corneal erosion
  • Corneal ulcer^
  • Endophthalmitis^
  • Episcleritis
  • Herpes zoster ophthalmicus
  • Inflamed pinguecula
  • Inflamed pterygium
  • Keratoconjunctivitis
  • Keratoconus
  • Nontraumatic iritis
  • Scleritis^
  • Subconjunctival hemorrhage
• Orbital trauma
  • Caustic keratoconjunctivitis^^
  • Corneal abrasion, Corneal laceration
  • Conjunctival hemorrhage
  • Conjunctival laceration
  • Globe rupture^
  • Hemorrhagic chemosis
  • Lens dislocation
  • Ocular foreign body
  • Posterior vitreous detachment
  • Retinal detachment
  • Retrobulbar hemorrhage
    • Ocular compartment syndrome
  • Traumatic hyphema
  • Traumatic iritis
  • Traumatic mydriasis
  • Traumatic optic neuropathy
  • Vitreous detachment
  • Vitreous hemorrhage
  • Ultraviolet keratitis

^Emergent diagnoses ^^Critical diagnoses

Management

• ED removal for small superficial objects
• Ophthalmology consult for surgical removal emergently for deeply penetrating or larger objects

Antibiotics

Boad-spectrum intravenous therapy prior to surgery

• Moxifloxacin
  • Has the best intraocular penetration

Disposition

• Admission and emergent surgical intervention with Ophthalmology for removal

See Also

• Corneal abrasion
• Eye Algorithms (Main)
• Corneal Ulcer
• Conjunctival Abrasion
• Foreign bodies