Author: Zina Mobarak / Editor: Jessie Lynch / Codes: / Published: 08/10/2025
A 55-year-old female presents to the Emergency Department (ED) with a sudden onset of severe left eye pain, blurred vision and redness, which started around 6 hours ago whilst she was watching TV in a dark room. She also complains of nausea and a dull, throbbing headache over her left temple for the last day. She states that her vision is “hazy” and she sees halos around lights.
She reports no jaw claudication or fever. She has no history of recent trauma or eye infections. Her past medical history includes hypertension, for which she takes amlodipine, and hyperlipidaemia managed with atorvastatin. She wears reading glasses for long sightedness but does not use contact lenses and has never had eye surgery. There is no history of diabetes.
On examination, her visual acuity in the left eye is reduced to 6/60, while the right eye remains 6/6. The left eye is red with a mid-dilated, non-reactive pupil. The cornea appears cloudy, and there is significant conjunctival injection. Palpation reveals that the left globe is firmer than the right. There is no temporal artery tenderness on palpation.
