Ophthalmology

Conditions

Please note this is not an exhaustive list of all conditions for outpatient services and does not exclude consideration for referral unless specifically stipulated in the out of scope section.

Paediatric services

Referrals for children and young people should follow the Children’s Health Queensland referral guidelines.

If any of the following are present or suspected arrange immediate transfer to the emergency department.

• Sudden severe visual loss e.g. macular or vitreous haemorrhage, retinal detachment or retinal artery occlusion
• Rubeosis iridis (iris new vessels)
• Angle closure glaucoma (unilateral red eye associated with pain, nausea, loss of vision, photophobia, steamy cornea, hard tender globe, ‘rainbows’ around lights, or sluggish pupil reactions)
• Corneal graft rejection
• Contact lens keratitis, corneal ulcers
• Uveitis / scleritis
• Intraocular pressure (IOP) >35 mmHg
• Signs and / or symptoms of retinal detachment
• Acute injury e.g. trauma, burns, chemical exposure, foreign body
• Acutely inflamed eye
• Sudden onset of constant convergent squint (esotropia) or divergent squint (exotropia) and / or double vision at any age
• Preseptal / orbital cellulitis- worsening eyelid oedema, erythema and proptosis
• Ophthalmology conditions associated with sudden onset neurological signs and/or symptoms
• Congenital glaucoma e.g. big eye/s, cloudy cornea, photosensitive, tearing
• Leukocoria

Out of scope services

Not all services are funded in the Queensland public health system. The following are not routinely provided in a public Ophthalmology service.

• Cataract
  • Patients with visual acuity in the affected eye of 6/12 or better will not be accepted unless clinical modifiers in General Referral Information.
• Diabetic Retinopathy (DR)
  • Routine referral for screening without evidence of DR will not be accepted unless in those HHSs without primary photoscreening or optometrist.
• Pterygium
  • Pterygium less than 3mm from limbus to apex will not be accepted.
• Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
  • Dry AMD is not routinely seen unless the practitioner is concerned about progression to wet AMD.
• Lid lesions
  • Patients with minor cosmetic eyelid lesions should not be referred.
• Headaches
• Refractive error
  • (prescription of spectacles) in patients older than 12 years
• Mild dry eyes
• Mild ptosis
• Temporal Arteritis
  • Giant cell Arteritis without ocular involvement – Refer immediately to local Rheumatologist or Emergency Department
  • Temporal Artery Biopsy without eye involvement

Specialists list

Clinic details

Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Level 8, Ned Hanlon Building

Clinic hours

Eye casualty
Monday – Friday, 8.00am–3:30pm
(Refer to Department of Emergency Medicine RBWH outside of these hours)