A Handbook of Ophthalmic Standards and Procedures

This handbook of ophthalmic nursing standards and procedures has been developed to assist healthcare professionals working in a wide range of ophthalmic settings, and also to provide the patient with safe and consistent ophthalmic nursing care. Ophthalmic care is constantly changing and progressing, with new technical roles being introduced all the time. The authors discovered within their own unit that new healthcare professionals, both registered and non-registered, were often shown slightly different ways of doing things by more experienced members of the team, which led to confusion. They felt it was a bit like driving; bad habits can easily slip into everyday practice. For this reason, they developed standards of care to act as a benchmark for the ophthalmic practitioner. Written in response to a widely expressed need for greater clarity and consistency, this highly regarded book offers a comprehensive one-stop resource for all ophthalmic practitioners, whether they are registered nurses, healthcare assistants or ophthalmic technicians. This new edition has been revised to make the text even clearer and bring all the guidance up to date, covering communication, visual acuity testing, ocular medications, the ophthalmic outpatient department, biometry, the ophthalmic accident and emergency department, the slit lamp and tonometry, additional standards using specific equipment, and suggested documentation for providing evidence of development and competence. Sections include: Communication Visual Acuity Testing Ocular Medications The Ophthalmic Outpatient Department Biometry The Ophthalmic Accident and Emergency Department Slit Lamp and Tonometry Additional Standards Using Specific Equipment Next Steps Using Standards