Introduction

The clinical assessment of a patient with an eye problem is covered in detail by the Learning Zone session Initial Assessment of the Eye.

Assessment of all patients with a corneal injury must include:

• Measurement of the visual acuity (Fig 1)
• Assessment of pupillary reactions
• Eyelid eversion to check for subtarsal foreign body
• Slit lamp examination of the cornea, anterior chamber and iris (Fig 2)

Fig 1: Measuring visual acuity	Fig 2: Slit lamp examination