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Best evidence topic reports
Sudden onset single floater symptom in one eye: is urgent dilated fundal examination by an ophthalmologist warranted?
  1. Jaheed Khan, Clinical Research Fellow,
  2. Genevieve Larkin

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      Report by Jaheed Khan, Clinical Research Fellow 
 Checked by Genevieve Larkin

      A shortcut review was carried out to establish whether patients with only symptom of a sudden onset uniocular floater warrant urgent referral to an ophthalmologist for specialist retinal examination to exclude retinal tears or detachment. Altogether 316 papers were found using the reported search, of which two presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The clinical bottom line is that patients who complain of a sudden onset single floater with no photopsia or change in visual acuity in one eye should merit urgent referral to an ophthalmologist for a detailed fundal examination.

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      Footnotes

      • Funding: none.

      • Competing interests: none declared.

      • The Corresponding Author has the right to grant on behalf of all authors and does grant on behalf of all authors, an exclusive licence (or non exclusive for government employees) on a worldwide basis to the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd to permit this article (if accepted) to be published in EMJ and any other BMJPGL products and sublicences such use and exploit all subsidiary rights, as set out in our licence.