Conjunctival laceration
Background
- From penetrating injury to the ocular surface
Clinical Features
- Conjunctivae have less innervation than cornea so far less symptomatic
- Full-thickness defect in the conjunctiva
- Chemosis
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
- Traumatic hyphema
- Traumatic iritis
- Traumatic mydriasis
- Traumatic optic neuropathy
- Vitreous detachment
- Vitreous hemorrhage
- Ultraviolet keratitis
^Emergent diagnoses ^^Critical diagnoses
Evaluation
- Eye Exam
- Confirm negative seidel's sign (rule out globe rupture) and no traumatic hyphema
- CT orbit
Management
Simple
- All of the following:
- Superficial
- Not associated with any other serious intraorbital or ocular injury
- Small (<1 cm)
- Erythromycin ophthalmic ointment and ophtho referral
Complex
- Discuss with ophthalmology
Disposition
- Simple: Outpatient
- Complex: Discuss with ophtho
See Also
Special Lacerations by Body Part
- Head
- Hand
- Other
- Bites
- General laceration repair (main)