Ulcers in the eye.

Corneal ulcerations are a common finding in patients presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) with a painful irritated eye. There are numerous etiologies for corneal ulcers, and differentiating between these etiologies can alter the management of the patient. We will discuss the diagnoses in two cases of corneal ulceration that presented to the ED with unilateral painful red eye. The appearance of the face and neurologic examinations were the same for both patients, and the important distinctions between the 2 patients were possible only on the slit lamp examination. Based on the results of the ED slit lamp examination, the patients were diagnosed with different etiologies for their corneal ulcers and were treated as indicated.