Version July 2025
| Acuity | Foreign-body sensation | Photophobia | Discharge | Associated features | Treat/refer | |
| Lids/lashes | ||||||
| Stye/hordeolum | Normal | – | – | None | Tender | Treat |
| Chalazion | Normal | – | – | None | Nontender | Treat |
| Blepharitis | Normal | – | – | Dry crusting | Chronic | Treat |
| Conjunctiva | ||||||
| Conjunctivitis | ||||||
| Normal | –/+ | – | Mucopurulent | More common in children, in non-summer months | Treat |
| Normal | –/+ | – | Mucoserous or watery | More common in adults, in summer months | Treat |
| Normal | – | – | Mucoserous | Itching | Treat |
| Normal | – | – | Watery | Burning, itching; often occurring in patients chronically taking preservative-containing topical ocular medications (eg, for glaucoma) | Refer (non-urgent) |
| Episcleritis | Normal | – | – | None | Dull ache, sectoral conjunctival injection | Treat |
| Scleritis | Normal or decreased | – | + | None | Constant, boring pain; deeper redness or purpuric color, compared to conjunctivitis or episcleritis | Refer (urgent, 1 to 2 days) |
| Subconjunctival hemorrhage | Normal | – | – | None | Extravasated blood | Treat |
| Cornea | ||||||
| Abrasion | Normal or decreased | + | + | Watery | History/trauma defect revealed by fluorescein | Treat; urgent referral if not improved after 24 hours |
| Contact lens overwear | Normal or decreased | + | + | Watery | History | Treat |
| Foreign body | Normal or decreased | + | + | Mucoserous | History/trauma | Treat; urgent referral if still present after 24 hours |
| Infectious keratitis | ||||||
| Normal or decreased | + | + | Mucopurulent | White spot on cornea; spot stains with fluorescein | Refer (emergency, same day) |
| Normal or decreased | + | + | Watery | Gray, branching opacity dendrite; dendrite revealed with fluorescein | Refer (urgent, 1 to 2 days) |
| Anterior chamber/iris | ||||||
| Hyphema | Normal or decreased | – | +/– | None, or watery, if present | RBC layering in the anterior chamber | Refer (emergency, same day) |
| Hypopyon | Normal or decreased | – | +/– | None, or purulent, if present | WBC layering in the anterior chamber | Refer (emergency, same day) |
| Iritis | Normal or decreased | – | + | None, or watery, if present | Ciliary flush, very small pupil | Refer (urgent, 1 to 2 days) |
| Iris/lens | ||||||
| Angle closure | Normal or decreased | – | +/– | None, or watery, if present | Fixed, mid-dilated pupil | Refer (emergency, same day) |
