Frequency and causes of red eye in summer and winter at Yazd

Red eye is the main sign of ocular inflammation rsulted from external eye vessels dilatation. red eye is one of the most common complaints in patients referring to eye clinics which can be a sign of wide variety of ocular problems, from mild conjunctivitis to vision- threatening infections, diseases or trauma. Most disorders characterized by a red eye are relatively benign. But more serious causes may be misdiagnosed from the Self-Limited ones. Inappropriate or delayed management may result in serious visual problems. This study was conducted to survey the effect of the variation of season on the causes of red eye and the ability of general practitioner on its management in 2004 at Shaheed Rahnemoon Hospital-Yazd. In this descriptive case series study, 400 patients with red eye referred to eye clinic in summer and winter of 2004 were evaluated. The red eye criterion was episcleral or conjunctiva hyperemia that changes the external eye color which was detected by observation and slit lamp examination. Data were collected through questionnaires and analyzed by SPSS software and chi-square test. The patients were classified in three age groups: less than 15 years (18%), 15-39 years (51.5%) and more than 40 years (30.5%). In two first age groups conjunctivitis and trauma were the most common causes of the red eye while in the third age group conjunctival degenerative changes were most frequent. Conjunctivitis was the most common cause of the red eye (35.8%) and other causes were trauma (22%) and conjunctival degenerative changes (15%). 59% of patients were males and 41% were females. Conjunctivitis was the most common cause of red eye in both genders (P.V= 0/000). Irritation was the most common symptom (91.3%), followed by tearing (85.8%) and itching (68.8%) (P.V=0.000). There was no relationship between the causes of red eye and the variation of seasons. The red eye was more frequent in males than in female and there was no difference between the causes in two seasons. The most common causes of red eye are conjunctivitis, trauma, and conjunctival desenerative changes. Uncommon but high risk cases such as uveitis, scleritis and hidden globe rupture must be referred to ophthalmology at once to prevent serious consequences. Appropriate instrutruction can also decrease some serious problems.