Author: Muhammad Khursheed Ullah Khan Marwat / Editor: Nick Tilbury / Codes: OptP2, OptP3, OptP4, OptP5, SLO6 / Published: 03/02/2025
A 7-year-old boy is brought to the Emergency Department (ED) by his mother, who reports that he was hit in the face with a tennis ball. Shortly afterwards, he complained of severe pain in his right eye, tearing and difficulty opening the eyelid.
On arrival, the child is visibly distressed, holding his hand over his eye. His right eye appears red and swollen, with visible tearing. The child has no previous eye problems or surgeries and does not wear contact lenses.
On examination, the child resists having his eye opened as it is too painful. Once opened, the conjunctiva is markedly injected, and there is evidence of subconjunctival haemorrhage. There is a slight cloudy appearance of the cornea. Visual acuity testing reveals decreased vision in the right eye compared to the left. An attempt to perform a fluorescein staining test suggests potential corneal abrasion, though a full examination is challenging due to the child’s discomfort.