The Acute red eye CPG has been updated and reviewed by the CPG Committee and endorsed by the Paediatric Improvement Collaborative (December 2022). It has been updated to include a comprehensive condition specific management table with images to aid in assessment.  

CPG key points 

1. Conjunctivitis is the most common cause of acute red eyes 
2. Adequate analgesia will aid examination and procedural sedation may be required in the younger child to allow the clinician to differentiate benign from serious conditions 
3. Key features of sight-threatening conditions are severe eye pain, photophobia, decreased visual acuity or a history of possible penetrating eye trauma; these conditions require specialist ophthalmological assessment