Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer

Red eye for the internist: when to treat, when to refer.

When a patient presents with redness in the eye, the cause needs to be diagnosed quickly. Some of the diseases that cause redness in the eye can be initially managed by an internist, but others call for quick referral to an ophthalmologist. This article reviews the spectrum of conditions manifesting as a red eye, emphasizing how to differentiate between the benign and the vision-threatening.

Red eye for the internist : When to treat , when to refer REVIEW ■

Because it is difficult to distinguish between infectious and noninfectious conditions, and because treating infections with corticosteroids alone can have grave consequences, we recommend that internists generally not use topical corticosteroids to treat eye symptoms. ANY PATIENTS present to internists because of redness in the eye. The possible causes range from benign (which generally can be...

The decision fork in the road; When to treat, when to refer, and when it's time for titanium.

The painful shoulder: when to inject and when to refer.

Physicians can usually diagnose the cause of shoulder pain by performing a focused history and physical examination and ordering anteroposterior and lateral radiographs. Treatment depends on the cause and can include physical therapy, injections of corticosteroids into the joint space or bursa, and surgery. This paper reviews the diagnosis and treatment of impingement syndrome, adhesive capsuli...

Incidental ovarian cysts: When to reassure, when to reassess, when to refer.

Ovarian cysts are commonly found on imaging done for other reasons. Proper triage will decrease unnecessary procedures and worry while obtaining the best survival benefit for those ultimately found to have cancer.