- Eye medications include drops, ointments, and disks used to treat eye conditions like glaucoma and infections. They are also used diagnostically to dilate pupils and stain the cornea. - When administering eye medications, nurses must take several safety precautions to prevent cross-contamination, including using only one bottle per client and discarding any leftover solution. - The proper procedure for administering eye drops involves checking for allergies, instilling the drops while the client looks up, having them blink several times, and documenting the administration. For ointments and disks, the nurse applies or inserts them along the eyelid or in the conjunctival sac.

1. Administering
an Eye Medication
Presented By
Mrs.Usha Rani Kandula, MSc(N),
Assistant professor in Adult health nursing, Department of Clinical nursing,
Arsi University, College of health sciences, Asella, Ethiopia, Institutional email:
usharani2020@arsiun.edu.et.

2. EYE MEDICATIONS
-Eye medications, often referred to as ophthalmic medications, refer to
drops, ointments, and disks.
-These drugs are used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes—to
lubricate the eye or socket for a prosthetic eye and to prevent or treat
eye conditions such as glaucoma (elevated pressure within the eye)
and infection.

3. -Diagnostically, eye drops can be used to anesthetize the eye, dilate
the pupil, and stain the cornea to identify abrasions and scars.
-The nurse should review the abbreviations used in medication orders
to ensure that the medication is instilled in the correct eye.
-Cross-contamination is a potential problem with eye drops.

4. -The nurse should adhere to the following safety measures to
prevent cross contamination:
-Each client should have his or her own bottle of eye drops.
-Clients should never share eye medications.
-Discard any solution remaining in the dropper after instillation.
-Discard the dropper if the tip is accidentally contaminated, as by
touching the bottle or any part of the client’s eye.
-The risk of transferring infection from one eye to the other is increased
if the tip touches any part of the client’s eye.

5. -The nurse should insert medication disks at bedtime because they
usually cause blurring of the eyes on insertion.
-Standard Precautions are used when eye care and medications are
being administered because of the potential contact with bodily
secretions.

6. Equipment
 Medication administration record (MAR)
 Tissue or cotton ball
 Eye medication
 Non sterile gloves

7. Sl.No Action Rationale
1 Check with the client and the chart for
any
known allergies or medical conditions
that
would contraindicate use of the drug.
Prevents occurrence of adverse reactions.
2 Check the MAR against the written
orders.
Ensures accuracy in identification of the
medications.
3 Gather the necessary equipment. Promotes efficiency.
4 Follow the rights of drug
administration.
Promotes safety.
5 Take the medication to the client’s
room and place on a clean surface.
Decreases risk of contamination.

8. Sl.No Action Rationale
6 Check client’s identification armband. Accurately identifies client.
7 Explain the procedure to the client;
inquire if the client wants to instill his or
her own eye drops.
Reduces client’s anxiety and enhances
collaboration; some clients are used to
instilling their own eye drops.
8 Wash hands, don non sterile gloves. Decreases contact with bodily fluids.
9 -If the eye has crust or drainage along
the margins or inner canthus, gently
wash the eye.
-Always wipe from from inner canthus
to outer.
-Use warm soaks to soften material if
necessary.
Crust and drainage harbor
microorganisms.
Cleansing from inner to outer aspects of
eye
avoids pushing microorganisms into the
lacrimal duct.
Soaking allows crusted material to
soften and facilitates removal without
pressure on the eye.

9. Sl.No Action Rationale
-Place client in a supine position with
the head slightly hyper extended.
Minimizes drainage of medication through
the
tear duct.
Instilling Eye drops
11 Remove cap from eye bottle and place
cap on its side.
Prevents contamination of the bottle cap.
12 Squeeze the prescribed amount of
medication into the eye dropper.
Ensures correct dose.
13 Place a tissue below the lower lid. Absorbs the medication that flows from
the eye.
14 With dominant hand, hold eyedropper
1/2 to 3/4 inch above the eyeball;
rest hand on client’s forehead to
stabilize.
Reduces risk of dropper’s touching eye
structure.

10. Sl.No Action Rationale
15 Place non dominant hand on
cheekbone and expose lower con
junctival sac by pulling on cheek while
applying slight pressure to the inner
canthus.
Stabilizes hand and prevents systemic
absorption of eye medication.
16 Instruct the client to look up, and drop
prescribed number of drops into center
of conjunctival sac
(Figure 29-33 on the following page).
Reduces stimulation of the blink reflex;
prevents injury to the cornea.
17 Avoid instilling medication directly into
the
cornea.
Pain fibers in the cornea make it very
sensitive
to anything applied to it.
18 If the client blinks and the drops land
on the outer lid or eyelash, repeat the
procedure.
Therapeutic effect achieved only if the
drop
enters the conjunctival sac.
19 Instruct client to gently close eyes and Distributes solution over conjunctival

11. Sl.No Action Rationale
20 Remove gloves; wash hands. Reduces the transmission of
microorganisms.
21 Record on the MAR the route, site
(which eye), and time administered.
Provides documentation that the
medication
was given.
Eye Ointment
22 Repeat steps 1–10.
23 Lower lid:

12. Sl.No Action Rationale
23. Lower lid:
With non dominant hand, gently
separate
client’s eyelids with thumb and finger,
and
grasp lower lid near margin immediately
below the lashes; exert pressure
downward
over the bony prominence of the cheek.
Provides access to the lower lid.
Instruct the client to look up. Reduces stimulation of the blink reflex,
and
keeps cornea out of way of medication.
Apply eye ointment along inside edge
of the entire lower eyelid, from inner to
outer canthus.
Ensures that drug is applied to entire lid.

13. Sl.No Action Rationale
24 Upper lid:
Instruct client to look down.
Keeps cornea out of way of medication.
With non dominant hand, gently grasp
client’s lashes near center of upper lid
with
thumb and index finger, and draw lid up
and away from eyeball.
Squeeze ointment along upper lid
starting
at inner canthus.
Ensures medication applied to entire
length
of lid.
25 Repeat steps 19–21.

14. Sl.No Action Rationale
26 Medication Disk
Repeat steps 1–10.
27 Open sterile package and press
dominant,
gloved finger against the oval disk so
that it lies lengthwise across fingertip
(Figure 29-34A).
Promotes sticking of disk to fingertip.
Allows
nurse to inspect disk.
28 Instruct the client to look up.
29 -With non dominant hand, gently pull
the
client’s lower eyelid down and place
the disk horizontally in the conjunctival
sac.
- It should float on the sclera between
the iris and the lower eyelid (Figure 29-
Allows the disk to automatically adhere to
the
eye. Ensures proper absorption of
medication.

15. Sl.No Action Rationale
Instruct the client to blink several times.
If disk is still visible, repeat steps.
Once the disk is in place, instruct the
client
to gently press his fingers against his
closed
lids; do not rub eyes or move the disk
across the cornea.
If the disk falls out, rinse it under cool
water and reinsert.
If the disk is prescribed for both eyes
(OU), repeat steps 27–29.
Ensures both eyes are treated at the
same time.

16. Sl.No Action Rationale
31 Repeat steps 19–21.
Removing an Eye Medication Disk
32 Repeat steps 4 and 6–10.
33 Remove the disk.
With nondominant hand, invert the
lower
eyelid and identify the disk.
Exposes the disk for removal.

17. Sl.No Action Rationale
-If the disk is located in the upper eye,
instruct the client to close the eye, and
place your finger on closed eyelid.
-Apply gentle, long, circular strokes;
instruct client to open the eye.
-Disk should be located in corner of
eye.
With your fingertip, slide the disk to the
lower lid, then proceed (Figure 29-34D).
With dominant hand, use the forefinger
to
slide the disk onto the lid and out of the
client’s eye.
34 Remove gloves; wash hands. Reduces transmission of microorganisms.
35 Record on the MAR the removal of the Provides documentation that the disk was

19. Thanking you