Eye discharge Assessment Questionnaire

Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!

During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques to assess the symptom: Eye discharge. These will include a physical examination and possibly diagnostic tests. (Note: A physical exam is always done, diagnostic tests may or may not be performed depending on the suspected condition) Your doctor will ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to openly share any pertinent information to help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis.

It is also very important to bring an up-to-date list of all of your all medical conditions, medications including dosages, and names of numbers of any specialist you see.

Create your printable checklist by answering questions that your doctor may ask below:

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How long have you had the eye discharge?
Why: to determine if acute or chronic.
Is the eye discharge unilateral or bilateral?
What is the nature of the discharge?
Why: e.g. purulent (pus-like) discharge usually indicates a bacterial infection; a clear watery or mucous discharge may suggest viral or allergic conjunctivitis.
Have you had a cold or running nose recently?
Why: may indicate viral conjunctivitis.
Is there a history of eye trauma?
Is there a history of exposure of a red discharging eye at school, work or home?
Why: may indicate bacterial conjunctivitis.
Do you suffer from hay fever?
Why: may suggest allergic conjunctivitis.
Is the person with eye discharge an infant?
Why: may indicate conjunctivitis or a blocked nasolacrimal duct. Conjunctivitis in infants is a serious disorder due to the immaturity of the tissues and the defence mechanisms and serious damage to the eye and blindness may result.
Occupational history?
Why: e.g. exposure to welding, foreign bodies, chemicals.
Red eye?
Why: a red discharging eye may suggest bacterial, viral or allergic conjunctivitis, herpes simplex infection, corneal ulceration, acute iritis or acute glaucoma.
Eye pain?
Why: a painful discharging eye may suggest herpes simplex infection, corneal ulcer, acute iritis or acute glaucoma. Bacterial, viral or allergic conjunctivitis causes a gritty eye irritation.
Photophobia (dislike of light)?
Why: may indicate uveitis or keratitis.
Blurry vision?
Why: may suggest herpes simplex infection, corneal ulcer, acute iritis or acute glaucoma (haloes around lights).
Itchy eye?
Why: may suggest allergic conjunctivitis.
Eyelid symptoms?
Why: may suggest ectropion (turning out of the eyelid) or blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelid margin which can be associated with conjunctivitis or corneal ulcers).
Headache?
Why: may suggest cluster headache.
Symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitis?
Why: e.g. pus-like discharge, sticking together of the eyelids in the morning, usually starts in one eye and spreads to the other eye, red eye.
Symptoms of viral conjunctivitis?
Why: e.g. usually associated with upper respiratory tract infection, starts in one eye but crosses to the other eye within days, scant watery discharge, diffuse eye redness, enlarged neck lymph nodes.

Conditions listing medical symptoms: Eye discharge:

The following list of conditions have 'Eye discharge' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

Select from the following alphabetical view of conditions which include a symptom of Eye discharge or choose View All.

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