Infection Prevention and Control in Ophthalmic Care Settings
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Standard Precautions are required in the care of all patients at all times
- Hand hygiene
- Perform before and after all patient encounters, including instillation of eye medication
- Use soap and warm water; rub for at least 15 seconds or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer and rub hands until dr
- Personal protective equipment
- Gloves for contact with mucous membranes (including eyes), non-intact skin if the patient exhibits sign of infection or when contact with blood or body fluids is possible
- Mask and face shield or eye protection when splashing or spraying of blood or body fluids is possible
Patient Examination Area
- Designate specific examination rooms for patients presenting with eye infections, if possible
- Clean and disinfect potentially contaminated surfaces (per manufacturer instructions for application and contact time) after the patient is discharged
- Including:
- exam chair
- chin rest
- head rim
- hand grips
- Including:
Equipment and Instruments
- Use disposable examination materials when possible
- Reusable instruments used for exams that touch mucous membranes of the eye should be subjected to high-level disinfection or sterilization
- Instruments include, but are not limited to, slit-lamps, tonometers, contact diagnostic and treatment lenses
- All surgical instruments must be properly sterilized after each use
Medication
- Single-use medication vials should be used when possible.
- If multi-use eye drop vials are used, the vial must not have contact with the patient.
- If the bottle does contact the patient’s eye it must be discarded immediately.
- Dispose of swabs and tissues used in the instillation of eye drops immediately
Dressings
- Dispose of soiled dressings immediately after dressing change
If you have further questions or to report cases you can call the Minnesota Department of Health during normal business hours: 651-201-5414 or 1-877-676-5414.
