Orbital - Retinal Detachment
Caption
65 y/o F PMH DM with sudden onset flashes of light and floaters followed by progressively worse blurred vision in her right eye. She has history of cataracts surgery as well as DM retinopathy. POCUS of affected eye shows a prominent hyper-echoic linear density floating freely above the posterior fundus as shown. Retinal Detachment is considered one of few emergencies whereby the retina becomes detached from the choroid. Once separated from the choroid’s blood supply, retinal ischemia ensues which can result in complete blindness in the affected eye. Salvage of such a potentially devastating injury relies on quick and efficient diagnosis with subsequent referral to definitive care. Bedside ultrasound has been shown to be 100% sensitive as a screening tool for RD [AEM 2010 Sep;17(9):913-7]. Have patient close eye and place liberal amount of gel either directly over eye or atop a tegaderm dressing. Use a linear probe and scan eye in axial plane to reveal findings demonstrated above. Dr. Eric Roseman - Kings County Emergency Medicine