Dull, aching, or throbbing pain, photophobia, tearing, redness, blurry vision, occasionally floaters, and onset of symptoms usually within 1 to 3 days of trauma.
White blood cells (WBCs) and flare in the AC (seen under high-power magnification by focusing into the AC with a small, bright, tangential beam from the slit lamp).
Pain in the traumatized eye when light enters either eye (consensual photophobia); lower (due to ciliary body shock/shutdown) or higher (due to inflammatory debris and/or trabeculitis) IOP than fellow eye; smaller, poorly dilating pupil or larger pupil (often due to iris sphincter tears) in the traumatized eye; perilimbal conjunctival injection; keratic precipitates (diffuse or inferior cornea); Vossius ring (ring-shaped iris pigment deposits on the anterior lens capsule surface due to blunt trauma driving the iris posteriorly); decreased vision.
Nongranulomatous anterior uveitis: No history of trauma, or the degree of trauma is not consistent with the level of inflammation. See 12.1, Anterior Uveitis (Iritis/Iridocyclitis).
Traumatic microhyphema or hyphema: Red blood cells (RBCs) in the AC. See 3.7, Hyphema and Microhyphema.
Traumatic corneal abrasion: May have an accompanying sterile AC reaction. See 3.3, Corneal Abrasion.
Traumatic retinal detachment: May produce an AC reaction or demonstrate pigment in the anterior vitreous. See 11.3, Retinal Detachment.
Complete ophthalmic examination, including IOP measurement and dilated fundus examination.
Cycloplegic agent (e.g., cyclopentolate 1% or 2% b.i.d. to t.i.d.). May use a steroid drop (e.g., prednisolone acetate 0.125% to 1% q.i.d.). Cautious use of topical steroids if an epithelial defect is present. A topical beta-blocker (e.g., timolol or levobunolol 0.5% b.i.d.) may be considered if the IOP is elevated.