Primary care physicians should refrain from treating any patients with steroids without consultation. Specific treatment for each of these conditions is beyond the scope of this article. Once the underlying disease process of red eye is ascertained, see the appropriate topic for medications. If red eye is caused by conjunctivitis, it may be contagious. Washing hands and avoiding use of contaminated tissues or washcloths helps to avoid spread to the other eye or other individuals.
Complications depend on the cause of the red eye.
The differential diagnosis is so large that the caregiver must be comfortable with all diagnoses and must be able to distinguish between the diagnoses. Mastering slit lamp technique is a prerequisite to correct diagnosis. Medicine is a constantly changing science and not all therapies are clearly established. New research changes drug and treatment therapies daily. However, as medical science is constantly changing and human error is always possible , the authors, editors, and publisher or any other party involved with the publication of this article do not warrant the information in this article is accurate or complete, nor are they responsible for omissions or errors in the article or for the results of using this information.