Eye referral without the patient

ABSTRACT

This report is based on 26 consecutive eye referrals without the patient to the Eye Department of the Philippine General Hospital coming from 16 provinces of the Philippines during a period of one year. They were referred by resident physicians and Chiefs of Provincial Hospitals, municipal and rural health officers and private medical practitioners. These referrals were usually coursed thru the Social Welfare Administration. 77 per cent had no history; 73 per cent had no description of the lesion while 65 per cent had no mention of the vision. With such insufficient data, the consultant ophthalmologist had much difficulty in giving the proper advice. It is therefore suggested that referring physicians should know how to take the minimum vision, light perception, light projection and color perception, and they should include a description of the diseased eye with its size and tension by palpation. A registry of eye physicians available to health workers and an increase in eye beds as well as physicians with training in eye diseases is also advocated. (Summary)