Any of the following is acted on immediately. Sight- and life-threatening conditions are escalated to emergency eye care or EMS first; provider notification and orders follow.
Red flags — act immediately
Sudden painless loss of vision in one eye → retinal artery occlusion, retinal detachment, or stroke — activate EMS / emergency eye care, time-critical.
Painful red eye with halos, nausea or vomiting, and a mid-dilated fixed pupil → acute angle-closure glaucoma — emergency eye care immediately.
New flashes, a shower of floaters, or a curtain over the visual field → retinal detachment — urgent eye care.
Chemical splash to the eye → irrigate copiously immediately and activate EMS.
New diplopia or a visual-field cut with other neurologic signs → stroke pathway; run BE-FAST and activate EMS (cross-reference Neurological).
Periorbital swelling and redness with pain or fever → possible orbital/periorbital cellulitis; notify urgently.
