Difference between conjunctival congestion and circumcorneal congestion
It is important to differentiate between conjunctival congestion and circumcorneal congestion as they are seen in different diseases and recognising this is necessary to initiate appropriate treatment.
Conjunctival congestion | Circumcorneal congestion | |
---|---|---|
Location | Maximum at the fornix, fade towards the limbus | Maximum around limbus, fade towards fornix |
Vessel involved | Posterior conjunctival | Anterior ciliary |
Direction of blood flow | Centripetal | Centrifugal |
Colour | Bright red | Light red |
Effect of adrenaline (vasoconstrictor) | Blanches immediately | No / delayed blanching |
Branching | Profuse branching | Limited branching |
Mobility of vessels | Move with conjunctiva | Fixed |
Plane of vessels | In the conjunctiva | Below the conjunctiva |
Ciliary tenderness | Present | Absent |
Etiology | Conjunctival disorders | Acute glaucoma, anterior uveitis, corneal disorders |
Synonyms of conjunctival congestion:
- conjunctival injection
Synonyms of circumcorneal congestion:
- circumcorneal injection
- ciliary congestion
- ciliary injection
- ciliary flush
One Comment
I was looking for a short note on ‘Ciliary flush’. This kind of things are difficult to find by a textbook index search as they are dispersed in several chapters. I found this very useful to construct my answer.