Eye Emergency Manual

Ophthalmic clinicians from the Provision of Hospital Services Subcommittee (PHSS) worked in collaboration with the Nurse Standing Committee (NSC) to develop consensus clinical guidelines for the management of eye emergencies. These guidelines are published in the Eye Emergency Manual. The project was funded by the ACI Ophthalmology Network’s predecessor the Statewide Ophthalmology Service.

The principal author, ophthalmologist Weng Sehu, was assisted by ophthalmologist Brighu Swamy both of Sydney Hospital/ Sydney Eye Hospital. The Eye Emergency Manual is primarily for use by non ophthalmic clinicians in emergency departments, particularly in rural areas and in metropolitan hospitals without an ophthalmology service.

The consensus clinical guidelines in the Eye Emergency Manual have been updated with feedback from emergency clinicians involved in the project to introduce and evaluate its use. This project involved clinicians in 28 hospital emergency departments in rural and metropolitan NSW over an 18 month period. Revisions to the manual include an expanded paediatric section, a more detailed chemical burn section incorporating the required irrigation procedure, reviewed triage categories and a consistent approach to onward referral.

• Eye Emergency Manual - Second Edition (2009)
• Eye Emergency Manual - Project Report (May 2010)