Loading...
Patients with flashes, floaters, or vision loss may have one of several emergent or non-emergent conditions, including retinal detachment, which requires urgent ophthalmologic evaluation. Historical features have poor specificity for retinal detachment. The diagnosis is further complicated by limitations of fundoscopic exams performed by emergency providers in the emergency department, including examination of undilated eyes, lack of availability of high-quality ophthalmoscopes, and inadequate training.
In a systematic review and meta-analysis, researchers evaluated the accuracy of point-of-care ultrasound for the diagnosis of retinal detachment. The analysis included 11 small, prospective, observational studies totaling 844 patients. Overal…