Ocular pain: a casualty study. The spectrum and prevalence of pain in acute eye disease.

This study examined the prevalence and severity of ocular pain in eye casualty patients. All new patients presenting over a 1 month period were invited to indicate their pain level using a visual analogue scale. The results for 352 patients were analysed, and median pain levels calculated for 29 common diagnoses. Of those responding, 94% (= 47% of all new patients) had ocular pain at presentation. While many results were predictable, some diagnoses were associated with higher pain scores than expected. Junior ophthalmologists also were asked to indicate their perceptions of pain severity for the 29 diagnoses using the same visual analogue scale.