[Acute painful and red eyes]

Pain or redness of the eye are frequent symptoms of out patient ophthalmological visit. Diagnosis is based both on the patient symptoms and a careful eyeball examination. After an eye trauma, it is necessary to check the absence of corneal or subpalpebral foreign body, and the absence of an eyeball laceration or an intraocular foreign body. Without traumatism, pain or redness of the eye suggest an anterior segment pathology with various diagnosis: keratitis is mostly due to bacterial infection, a significant intraocular pressure elevation is frequently due to angle closure glaucoma or inflammation of the anterior uvea in case of iridocyclitis. When pain and redness of the eye are associated with visual impairment, it is mostly due to a severe ocular pathology. In that case an ophthalmological referral is mandatory.