Ocular injuries--treat or refer?

The primary care physician is often called on to treat ocular emergencies. Two such injuries --chemical burns and traumatic central retinal artery occlusion --call for quick action and immediate referral. The evaluation of other injuries should proceed in logical order, beginning with the lids and proceeding to the pupils, globe, and retina and optic nerve. This systematic evaluation allows the examiner to identify patients who need referral to an ophthalmologist. Minor injuries can be safely treated by following the guidelines given.