Whatever disinfection policy your clinic follows, residual disinfectant on a tonometer tip or lens can irritate the ocular surface, so the instructions for contact time and drying matter as much as the agent. Let the agent evaporate or rinse as directed before the next patient, and keep a written protocol so staff do not improvise.
- Follow the manufacturer's contact time.
- Allow tips to dry or rinse as directed.
- Keep a written protocol staff can follow.
- Use stricter reprocessing after contact with a patient with suspected infection.
Why it matters
Residue is a quiet cause of corneal irritation after routine tonometry.
Read the rest in the app
You have read your two free briefings this month. The app carries all 27 specialties, every morning, free — and this finding is waiting in it.
Scan to keep reading on your phone. No account needed to start.
Tomorrow morning, before your first patient
One edition a day for ophthalmology, written by the desk, every claim tied to its paper. Six minutes.
Get the app — free