Queensland Government
Queensland Government
Home / Refer your patient / Ophthalmology

Ophthalmology

Conditions

Please note this is not an exhaustive list of all conditions for outpatient services and does not exclude consideration for referral unless specifically stipulated in the out of scope section.

Paediatric services

Referrals for children and young people should follow the Children’s Health Queensland referral guidelines.

Emergency department referrals

If any of the following are present or suspected, please refer the patient to the emergency department (via ambulance if necessary) or seek emergent medical advice if in a remote region.

Retinal artery occlusion

  • Patients with central or branch retinal artery occlusion

Glaucoma

  • Angle closure glaucoma (unilateral red eye associated with pain, nausea, loss of vision, photophobia, steamy cornea, hard tender globe, ‘rainbows’ around lights, or sluggish pupil reactions)
  • Patients with IOP >35mmHg

Ptosis

  • Sudden onset ptosis if concern regarding neurological cause i.e. 3rd cranial nerve palsy

Adult strabismus

  • Sudden onset of any of the following:
    • constant convergent squint (esotropia) or
    • divergent squint (exotropia) or
    • double vision at any age

Other referrals to emergency

  • Acute injury e.g. trauma, burns, chemical exposure, foreign body
  • Acutely inflamed eye
  • Contact lens keratitis, corneal ulcers
  • Corneal graft rejection
  • Intra ocular pressure (IOP) > 35 mmHg
  • Ocular signs or symptoms of temporal arteritis
  • Ophthalmology conditions associated with sudden onset neurological signs and/or symptoms e.g. third cranial nerve palsy or optic disc swelling
  • Preseptal/orbital cellulitis - worsening eyelid oedema, erythema and proptosis
  • Rubeosis iridis (iris new vessels)
  • Signs and/or symptoms of retinal detachment
  • Sudden severe visual loss e.g. macular or vitreous haemorrhage, retinal detachment or retinal artery occlusion
  • Uveitis/scleritis

Out of scope services

Not all services are funded in the Queensland public health system. The following are not routinely provided in a public Ophthalmology service.

  • Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) (Dry AMD is not routinely seen unless the practitioner is concerned about progression to wet AMD).
  • Cataract (Patients with best corrected visual acuity in the affected eye of 6/12 or better will not be accepted unless Clinical Modifiers apply (see clinical modifiers on Cataracts page))
  • Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) routine referral for screening without evidence of DR or patients with only mild non proliferative (NPDR) will not be accepted unless in those HHSs without primary photoscreening or optometrist.
  • Glaucoma (patients with ocular hypertension with IOP less than 25mmHg and no other signs or risk factors for glaucoma will not be accepted)
  • Isolated refractive error – (prescription of spectacles)
  • Lid lesions (patients with minor cosmetic eyelid lesions should not be referred).
  • Mild dry eyes
  • Mild ptosis
  • Pterygium
    • Pterygium less than 3mm from limbus to apex will not be accepted.

Clinic details

Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital
Level 8, Ned Hanlon Building

Clinic hours

Eye casualty
Monday – Friday, 8.00am–3:00pm
(Refer to Department of Emergency Medicine RBWH outside of these hours)

Specialists list

Send referral

Hotline: 1300 364 938

Medical Objects ID: MQ40290004P
HealthLink EDI: qldmnhhs

Mail: 
Metro North Central Patient Intake
Aspley Community Centre
776  Zillmere Road
ASPLEY QLD 4034

Health pathways

Access to Health Pathways is free for clinicians in Metro North Brisbane.

For login details email:
healthpathways@brisbanenorthphn.org.au

Login to Brisbane North Health Pathways:
brisbanenorth.healthpathwayscommunity.org

Locations

Resources

Back to top