Eye signs in anaesthesia and intensive care

ABSTRACT

Ophthalmology can be unfamiliar territory for the anaesthetist and intensivist. This updated article describes the clinical signs that may indicate injury to the eye, relevant to the operating theatre and intensive care environments. Patients are at risk of corneal abrasions, exposure keratopathy and chemosis. Prone positioning of patients, a task all too familiar to medical and nursing staff throughout the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, is associated with additional risks of ischaemic optic neuropathy and acute glaucoma. The intensivist should also be alert to signs of ocular infection, for example, conjunctivitis, microbial keratitis and endophthalmitis. Ocular injury in the trauma patient requires prompt evaluation and management of sight-threatening conditions.