Patient Preparation, Instrumentation, and Assisting with Procedures
Core concepts
Understand room and instrument setup, patient positioning, and the assistant's role in procedures such as slit-lamp exams, tonometry, dilation, foreign-body removal, and minor surgery. Know the purpose and basic operation of common instruments: slit lamp, ophthalmoscope, retinoscope, keratometer, tonometer, autorefractor, and perimetry. Learn to prepare the patient (explain the procedure, obtain consent, position at the slit lamp with chin on the rest and forehead against the strap), to set up sterile fields, and to hand instruments correctly. Know which procedures require dilation and which require anesthesia, and how to document findings and patient instructions afterward.
Traps
Questions often test proper patient positioning (chin in the chin rest, forehead against the band) and alignment marks. Another trap is confusing applanation and non-contact tonometry or forgetting to calibrate and disinfect equipment between patients. Watch for the assistant overstepping scope-tasks like diagnosing or prescribing are outside the assistant's role; assisting, preparing, and documenting are within it. Also remember to remove contact lenses when indicated and to warn patients about blur and light sensitivity after dilation.
Worked example / rule of thumb
Rule of thumb: before any procedure, confirm identity, explain the steps, and verify allergies and consent. If a task requires clinical judgment (e.g., interpreting a pressure reading), escalate to the clinician rather than acting independently.
Study focus
Review documentation requirements and post-procedure instructions, including driving precautions after dilation.