ABSTRACT
Acutely red eye is common and caused by a variety of conditions including trauma such as a foreign body (FB) entering the eye, diseases of the conjunctive (conjunctivitis), cornea (keratitis), iris, ciliary body and choroid (uveitis), aqueous humour (glaucoma) and the sclera (scleritis and episcleritis). Strabismus is diagnosed clinically, which involves examination of the corneal light reflex and cover test. It may be transient or constant, manifest or latent. Visual loss may be acute or gradual, temporary or permanent. Acute visual loss is a frightening experience not only for children and their parents but also for the clinicians. Conditions causing acute visual loss in paediatrics are collectively uncommon (incidence estimated to be two-five cases per 10 000 births). Diplopia, simultaneous perception of two images of a single object, is less common in children than in adults because of the lower incidence of strokes and other intracranial lesions.
