The profile of patients attending a triaged eye emergency service

Galway University Hospital provides a 24-h referral eye emergency service for patients triaged by a primary health network. A prospective study was designed to evaluate the profile of patients referred to the eye emergency service and an attempt was made to compare the data recorded to those of a walk-in eye casualty. All cases seen in Galway University Hospital eye emergency service over five consecutive weeks in 2012 were recorded and analyzed. Four hundred and eight cases were seen in total. 312 (76.5 %) were seen during normal working hours and 96 (23.5 %) after-hours. 33.3 % of cases were inflammatory and 31.9 % traumatic. Anterior uveitis [39 cases (9.6 %)] and corneal abrasion [37 cases (9.1 %)] were the most common diagnosis, while bacterial keratitis [9 cases (2.2 %)] and globe rupture/penetration [4 cases (1 %)] were the most serious. 85.6 % of patients were seen within 30 h from referral. A&E department was the main referral source (35 % of cases seen during normal hours and 70.8 % of those seen after-hours). 42.5 % of patients needed to be followed-up in the clinics. Seventy-two patients (17.6 %) were seen after 5 pm, Monday to Monday. Twenty-one were traumatic, 4 required admission and only 9 were deemed inappropriate after assessment. Serious eye pathology presents after normal working hours. The triage process results in lower number of minor complaints being referred to the service. Compared to a walk-in casualty, a triaged service manages greater percentage of complex pathology.