# Blindness

- Category: chronic
- Review status: reviewed (every claim checked against a document named on this page)
- Sources: Central Retinal Artery Occlusion - StatPearls - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470354/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class FD72 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
- Verified date: 2026-08

## Verified against

- No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care

## Treatment metadata

- No drug therapy in primary care (Recognition & Referral)

## Complete treatment card

```text
BLINDNESS
Sources: Central Retinal Artery Occlusion - StatPearls -
         https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470354/ · ICPC-3 (WONCA International Classification
         of Primary Care, 3rd edition) class FD72 - condition scope only, no dose · No dose -
         referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
Review status: REVIEWED against the source listed above  (2026-08)

IS IT THIS? - reference only, to read alongside your own examination
  TESTS (3)
    - A full eye exam covers visual acuity, visual fields, eye movements, pupils, intraocular
      pressure, and both segments of the eye
    - Extra tests such as visual evoked potential, electroretinography, OCT, or fluorescein
      angiography can help find the cause
    - Intraocular pressure measurement and gonioscopy are part of the standard workup
  IF NOT THIS - what else fits (10)
    - Acute angle-closure glaucoma can cause sudden vision loss
    - Central retinal artery occlusion is a listed retinal cause
    - Retinal detachment or an intraretinal foreign body can cause vision loss
    - Giant cell arteritis is an important neuro-ophthalmic cause
    - Optic neuritis or papilledema can present with vision loss
    - Diabetic retinopathy is a listed retinal cause of vision loss
    - Age-related macular degeneration is a listed macular cause
    - Thyroid eye disease or an orbital infection can present with vision loss
    - Uveitis, whether anterior, intermediate, posterior, or panuveitis, is on the differential
    - Fungal, bacterial, or viral keratitis are listed corneal causes
  Source  StatPearls "Blindness" - disease-level clinical article
  Status  traced to the source above

1. NO DRUG THERAPY IN PRIMARY CARE (RECOGNITION & REFERRAL)[1st line]
   Adult    Loss of vision in one or both eyes from any cause (cataract, glaucoma, diabetic
            retinopathy, and trachoma sequelae are all still relevant causes in Egypt). This is an
            outcome/finding, not a treatable diagnosis in itself; the GP's job is recognising it,
            judging urgency, and referring to ophthalmology. - Refer
   Peds     Children follow the same pathway: recognise and refer. No primary-care medicine is
            implied.
   Source   No dose - referral pathway, no medicine given in primary care
   Why      Loss of vision in one or both eyes from any cause (cataract, glaucoma, diabetic
            retinopathy, and trachoma sequelae are all still relevant causes in Egypt). This is an
            outcome/finding, not a treatable diagnosis in itself; the GP's job is recognising it,
            judging urgency, and referring to ophthalmology.
   Caution  No medicine is prescribed for this in primary care - this entry is for recognition and
            referral. Anything given is decided by the service it is referred to.
            RED FLAG - Sudden-onset blindness is an emergency (retinal artery occlusion, stroke,
            temporal or giant cell arteritis), as is blindness with a painful red eye (acute angle-
            closure glaucoma).

Prices are indicative (dataset snapshot 2026-06); verify with the pharmacy.
```

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