Download CLINICAL PRIORITY ACCESS CRITERIA

CPAC014
CLINICAL PRIORITY ACCESS CRITERIA
Service Category: OPHTHALMOLOGY
Category Definitions:
Category
1.
Immediate
Seen within 24
hours
Immediate
Urgent
Semi-Urgent
Non-Urgent/Routine
–
–
–
–
Seen within 24 hours
Seen within 2 weeks
Seen within 1 month
Seen within 2 months
Criteria



2.
Urgent
Seen within 2
weeks
1.
2.
3.
4.
Clinic Type: Outpatient/Assessment
Trauma not able to be treated
conservatively.
Painful red eye with significant loss of
vision.
Examples
(not an exhaustive list)




Surgical trauma to the lids, orbit,
ocular structures.
Penetrating eye injuries.
Retained intraocular foreign bodies.
Hyphema.

Chemical burns.

Corneal ulcer.

Acute glaucoma.

Infections.

Ischemic ocular conditions, eg
temporal arteritis.

Optic neuritis.

Some retinal detachments.
Sudden severe vision loss.

Painful diplopia.

Third nerve palsy.

Sudden visual loss.

Retinal detachment/haemorrhage.

Vitreous haemorrhage.

Some age related maculopathy
(ARM).

Disc oedema.

Other cranial nerve palsy.

Acute field defects.

Glaucoma.

Neurological conditions threatening
permanent damage if treatment
delayed.

Diabetic conditions with loss of vision.

Retinopathy.

Painful red eye with loss of vision.

Iritis.

Mature cataract.

Herpes Zoster/simplex.

Corneal foreign bodies.

Orbital blowout fracture.

Corneal abrasions.

Blunt trauma.

C:Data\NZ\Ophthal\AxsCrit\Jan00\LEC
Traumatic conditions.
CPAC014



3.
Semi-Urgent
Seen within 1
month
Infective conditions.
Paediatric conditions.

Intraocular malignancy.

Squamous cell carcinoma.

Some basal cell carcinomas.

Acute dacryocystitis.

Unresponsive conjunctivitis.

Persistent watering eye.

White pupil.

Chronic impairment of visual function.

Bilateral “hand movement” cataracts.

Amblyogenic conditions.

Strabismus.

Refractive conditions in children.

Ptosis in children.

Benign tumours and low grade BCCs.

Maculopathy.

Vitreous haemorrhage.

Pregnancy.
Misc conditions threatening
permanent damage if treatment
delayed.

Entropion.

Severe ectropion.

Cicatrizing disease.

Infective disease.

Chronic dacryocystitis.

Orbital disease.

Proptosis – displacement of globe.

Thyroid eye disease.

Headache with ocular symptoms/
signs.

Painless diplopia.

Cataracts and media opacities.

ARM.

Glaucoma.

Congenital/adult epiphora.

Pterygium.

Cosmetic ptosis.

Cosmetic squint.

Ectropion.

Some ocular plastic procedures.

Epiphora.




4.
Non-Urgent/
Routine
Seen within 2
months
Progressive/invasive cancers.


Low grade non-progressive
neoplasms.
Moderately progressive diabetic
conditions.
Neurological conditions.
Chronic impairment of vision.
Chronic non-sight threatening
conditions.

Diabetic conditions.

Routine fundus exam.

Refractive error with co-morbidity.

Keratoconus.

High myopia.
Last updated February 2006
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CPAC014
Notes:
The following are excluded from waiting list consultations and secondary treatments:
1.
Adult refractive conditions alone, without co-morbidity.
2.
Minor cosmetic abnormalities without any other pathology.
3.
Presbyopia without co-morbidity.
Last updated February 2006
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