JOB DESCRIPTION OF A TRAINED AND REGISTERED OPHTHALMIC NURSE

The Ophthalmic Nurse is a Specialised Nurse trained to make diagnosis of eye diseases, treat
some of them and refer appropriately. He/she operate at all level of health care delivery
system.
At the Sub-District he/she function as a trainer and a supervisor of primary eye care
workers
At the District levels he/she diagnosis, treat some eye conditions, refer appropriate
cases and assists resident or visiting ophthalmologist.
At the Regional and Teaching Hospitals, the Ophthalmic Nurse gives support to the
Ophthalmologist on the management of eye patients. The following are detailed Job
description.

1. Organize eye clinic at his/her station if there is none already

2. Diagnose and manage all common eye problems
3. Recognize and refer those conditions which require more specialist care
4. Caries out theatre techniques
5. Organised and run outreach clinic
6. Educate the public and other health workers on primary eye care
including health promotion and prevention of preventable eye diseases
7. Organize and run school screening clinics
8. Select and prepare patients who require intra ocular surgery
9. Assist the Ophthalmologist at surgery
10. Carry out postoperative management of the operated eye patients
11. Perform minor operation e.g. lid surgery, suturing injuries around the eye.
12. Perform practical procedure involved in examination and treatment
ofother eye problems
13. Manage an eye clinic including record keeping and supplies
14. Train and supervise primary eye care personnel
15. Administer topical eye medications
16. Give periocular injection
17. Perform patient/family teaching
18. Counselling of patient / family
19. Set trolley for ophthalmic procedures
20. Decontaminate, disinfect and sterilize instrument and supplies
21. Remove eye dressing
22. Perform eye dressing
23. Give preoperative care of eye condition
24. Run on call duty schedule
25. Supervise the learning activities of trainees in the eye unit
26. Collect and disseminate data and carry out research