Real-Life Communication
You are an ophthalmic assistant. You are helping a patient get used
to wearing contact lenses. She has been fitted with the lenses, and now needs
to know how to care for them.
You go through the steps required for
the care of contact lenses. It is much simpler than it used to be.
"We
have to read publications related to the industry to keep up with the constant
changes," says Donna White. She is an ophthalmic assistant. "We also have
to communicate well, explaining what is happening to a patient, and what care
they need to take."
This is what you tell the patient about wearing
contacts that are disposed once per week:
Wash your hands
thoroughly with soap and water, and dry them completely. Take the contact
from its case, place it in the palm of your hand, and rinse it with cleansing
solution. Place the contact on the tip of your index finger. With your other
hand, hold open your eyelids. Place the contact on your eye. Blink a few times
to adjust the contact on your eye.
To remove, wash and thoroughly dry
your hands. Hold your eyelids open. Using your thumb and index finger on your
other hand, gently pull down or squeeze the contact to remove it from your
eye.
Because these are daily wear contacts, they won't have to be sterilized
as others were in the past. Put the contact in the palm of your hand, squirt
saline solution and rub the contact gently to clean it. Then place the lens
in a lens case with proper storage chambers. Allow lenses to soak for a minimum
of four hours. To ensure the overall health of the eye, remember to get regular
eye examinations if you are a contact lens wearer.
After
you have explained the procedure, she has a few questions:
- How do you remove the contact?
- Can I put the contacts in the case for 10 minutes and then take them out
to wear again?
- If I get these contacts, can I just keep ordering them and never come
back to see the ophthalmologist?