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Acute Angle Closure Glaucoma

Checked: 23-01-2020 by Vicky Ryan Next Review: 23-01-2021

Overview

This is typically a sudden onset of severe eye pain and reduced vision. Patients often complain of an entire headache centred around the eye. Certain signs in angle closure glaucoma can be:

  • The patient is likely to be longsighted (a ‘plus’ prescription)
  • The patient is unlikely to have had cataract surgery
  • The eye may feel hard to palpation compared to the other side
  • The cornea may appear cloudy
  • The pupil may not react to light and appear non-reactive in a semi-dilated state
  • There is significant pain/headache/nausea.

Please see diagnostic photograph

Who to refer?

This case should be urgently referred to the BEH Emergency department or, if out of hours, to the on-call ophthalmologist, for immediate review.

Red Flags

Cases should be urgently referred to the BEH Emergency department or if out of hours to the on-call ophthalmologist, for immediate review

Before referral

Analgesia and anti-emetics can be given, however there is no immediate treatment which can be given in primary care.

Referral

Refer to BEH Emergency Department

Resources

These guidelines have been written by Rhys Harrison, consultant ophthalmologist at Bristol Eye Hospital, with thanks to the patients who have kindly given consent to use their photos.

For full ophthalmology guidelines see: Primary Care Ophthalmology Guidance Document



Efforts are made to ensure the accuracy and agreement of these guidelines, including any content uploaded, referred to or linked to from the system. However, BNSSG ICB cannot guarantee this. This guidance does not override the individual responsibility of healthcare professionals to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual patient, in consultation with the patient and/or guardian or carer, in accordance with the mental capacity act, and informed by the summary of product characteristics of any drugs they are considering. Practitioners are required to perform their duties in accordance with the law and their regulators and nothing in this guidance should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.

Information provided through Remedy is continually updated so please be aware any printed copies may quickly become out of date.