Eye emergencies: acute management in the pediatric ambulatory care setting.

Pediatric emergency department visits commonly relate to eye problems. Over 70,000 children under the age of 15 years are treated annually for eye injuries. Ocular examination is also often performed in the ambulatory care setting when the physician is evaluating systemic problems, such as head trauma, to look for abnormalities such as papilledema. For these reasons, it is essential that the acute care physician becomes familiar with the initial evaluation and management of ocular disorders. Unfortunately, this evaluation may be hampered by inadequate instrumentation, an uncooperative patient, or a fear of causing further damage to the eye. However, primary care physicians can perform a wide range of diagnostic and therapeutic interventions with a minimum of technology and a modicum of patience and understanding.