Eye Issues

Key Conditions

Key conditions are the core conditions that the Paediatric Undergraduate and Clerkship Directors of Canada (PUPDOC) felt are essential for graduating medical students to know. The Key Conditions are neither a differential diagnosis nor a clinical approach. They highlight conditions that may be unique to paediatrics, that are essential, or that are common. Key Conditions can present in a number of ways – each is listed as under the most common Clinical Presentation.

• Absent Red Reflex
• Amblyopia
• Conjunctivitis
• Normal Vision Development
• Periorbital / Orbital Cellulitis
• Strabismus
• Visual Changes

Clinical Approach

Clinical approaches represent one of many methods to think through a clinical presentation, and narrow down a differential diagnosis. There are many conditions that can present with similar symptomatology. These presentations are not meant to contain an exhaustive list of differential diagnoses, but rather outline how to think through patient signs and symptoms, and understand some of the most common and important Paediatric conditions. There are many different ways to approach any clinical presentation, and these approaches are not meant to replace clinical judgement.

Pre-Clerkship

Lecture materials and small group cases are posted here for University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine students. Access to these materials are password protected.

Clerkship

Lecture materials and small group cases are posted here for University of Calgary Cumming School of Medicine students. Access to these materials are password protected.

Objectives

By the end of the Paediatric Clerkship, a medical student will be able to:

1. Clinically recognize an absent red reflex and describe the significance of this finding.
2. Assess visual acuity and for the presence of strabismus.
3. Describe general management for amblyopia.
4. List the differences between periorbital and orbital cellulitis and propose a management plan for each.
5. Propose an investigation and management plan for a patient with conjunctivitis.

Half Day Cases

• An 8 month old boy is brought into your clinic, as parents are concerned that he appears to be "cross-eyed"
• You are working in the newborn nursery. On your routine physical exam, you notice that a term infant girl has no red reflexes
• A 10 year old boy has had 1 2 week history of rhinorrhea. Over the last 2 days, he has had progressive swelling, erythema and pain over his right eye.

Resources

The following resources have been reviewed and collated by canuc-paeds. These resources are aimed to provide information at the level of the medical student. These include overviews of topics, clinical resources, and useful guidelines that contain relevant materials.