Acute red eye in a diesel fitter

Case presentation

Jeff, a 19-year-old apprentice diesel fitter, presented with a red left eye and associated foreign body sensation that had begun suddenly when he was grinding metal two days previously. Despite workplace policy, he had not been wearing eye protection. The eye was mildly photophobic and quite uncomfortable, particularly on blinking. He denied any reduction in vision but conceded that he had been experiencing haloes around lights at night. He had no general medical conditions or past ocular history of note, and he did not wear spectacles or contact lenses.