Misdiagnosis of acute eye diseases by primary health care providers: incidence and implications

The Medical Journal of Australia ISSN: 0025729X 6 October 2008 189 7 402-404 ©The Medical Journal of Australia 2008 www.mja.com.au Lessons from practice The primary health care provider’s initial diagnosis ment can be critical to the patient’s ophthalmic out United Kingdom study of 55 patients in which an op had diagnosed a red-eye disorder, only nine had b diagnosed by the referring practitioner. To our k study of the accuracy of diagnosis of eye condition health care providers in Australia has yet been p ati sym op P ents who notice a red eye or other acute ophthalmic ptoms often present first to their general practitioner, tometrist or local hospital emergency department. Although the most common acute eye diseases in primary practice are the usually benign conditions of viral, bacterial and allergic conjunctivitis, rarer but more serious causes of red eye such as iritis, keratitis and acute glaucoma can lead to permanent loss of vision. and managecome. In one hthalmologist een correctly nowledge, no s by primary ublished. We audited the hospital records of 1062 new patients presenting to the eye emergency services of the ophthalmology departments of the two major Brisbane hospitals, and analysed the accuracy of the diagnosis and implications of the initial care provided to these patients by their local doctor or optometrist.