Educational draft · awaiting clinical reviewUse Rapid for revision, not patient-care decisions. Check current national and local guidance and the BNF or BNFC before acting.
2 min synopsisUK scopeSources checked 7 Sept 2026Clinical review pending
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Treat injury and protect the child
An unexplained eye injury in a child can accompany serious intracranial injury or continuing danger, even when external signs are modest.
Action: Stabilise acute illness, obtain urgent senior paediatric and ophthalmic help, and activate the safeguarding pathway without waiting for diagnostic certainty.
Synopsis
Recognise eye findings that warrant safeguarding assessment, protect the child while treating injury, and interpret retinal evidence without overstating what it establishes.
A safeguarding concern is a reason to assess and act; it is not proof of a particular perpetrator.
No retinal finding alone is pathognomonic of abusive head trauma.
Numerous bilateral haemorrhages across retinal layers and into the periphery increase concern in the relevant clinical context.
National guidance is shown before implementation-dependent detail. Typical adult dose examples remain subject to patient factors, contraindications and the live BNF or specialist protocol. Source check completed 7 Sept 2026; clinical approval remains outstanding.