Wilderness Medical Society Practice Guidelines for Treatment of Eye Injuries and Illnesses in the Wilderness

Abstract

A panel convened to develop an evidence-based set of guidelines for the recognition and treatment of eye injuries and illnesses that may occur in the wilderness. These guidelines are meant to serve as a tool to help wilderness providers accurately identify and subsequently treat or evacuate for a variety of ophthalmologic complaints. Recommendations are graded based on the quality of their supporting evidence and the balance between risks and benefits according to criteria developed by the American College of Chest Physicians.

In Response to WMS Practice Guidelines for Eye Injuries and Illnesses

“…Recently, I was reading the guideline for eye injuries and illnesses. 1 Although the attempt at making this guideline conform to the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) Grading Recommendations is admirable, I believe the authors may have gone too far with their recommendations in most cases when many of the recommendations may be expert opinions that hold little evidence to support them.…”