Eye Irrigation

- Is a medical procedure of washing out of the conjunctival sac with a stream of

liquid
- This is used to clean out foreign objects that gets into the eye causing irritation.

Nursing Process

I. Assessment
a. Assess the patient’s eyes for redness, erythema, edema, drainage, or
tenderness
b. Assess the patient for allergies
c. Verify patient name, dose, route, and time of administration
d. Assess the patient’s knowledge of the procedure. If patient has a
knowledge deficit about the procedure, this may be an appropriate time to
begin patient education

Nursing Diagnosis

- Appropriate nursing diagnoses may include:

o Deficient Knowledge
o Risk for Injury
o Acute Pain

Purpose of Eye Irrigation:

- To clear the eye of noxious or other foreign material or excessive secretions or in

preparation for surgery
- To prevent corneal burning
- To flush out irrigating or chemical solutions to the eye
- To relieve itching
- To treat infections

Indications of Eye Irrigation

- Chemical contact, irrigating after contact

- Eye irritants
- Excessive secretion
 - Preparations for surgery
- Unconscious patients
- Eye inflammation or crusting

Contraindications of Eye Irrigation

- Eye Surgery
- Allergy to Medication

Complications of Eye Irrigation

- Incomplete foreign body removal or rust ring

- Conjunctivitis
- Perforation of the cornea
- Epithelial injury

Guidelines for Eye Irrigation:

1. Position patient in a supine position with head turned slightly toward the affected
side
2. Direct the irrigating solution along the conjunctiva from inner to outer canthus
3. Avoid touching the eye structure with the irrigation equipment
4. Place the kidney basin at the side of the eye

Nursing Responsibilities

- Before
o Confirm the patient’s identity by checking the name band or asking for the
patient’s name and birth date
o Gather the necessary materials
o Do medical handwashing and wear gloves (as necessary)
- During
o Expose the conjunctival sac and hold upper lid open with non-dominant
hand
o Instruct patient to look up
 o Allow solution to flow from the inner canthus to outer along the
conjunctival sac
- After
o Pat dry patient’s face and eyes with a cotton ball
o Document the following
 Duration of irrigation
 Type and amount of solution
 Characteristics of drainage
 Patient’s reactions to the procedure

Equipment

1. Bath towel or under pad

2. Prescribed irrigating solution, sterile normal saline or tap water
3. Soft bulb syringe, eye dropper
4. Sterile basin
5. Emesis basin
6. 4x4 sterile gauze pack/ cotton balls
7. Clean gloves
8. Examination light/ drop light

Outcome Identification and Planning

- Eye is cleansed successfully

- Patient understands the rationale for the procedure and is able to participate
- Patient’s eye remains free from injury
- Patient remains free from pain

Quiz

1. A transparent structure that covers iris and pupil

a. Cornea
2. It helps the movement of the eyeball
a. Extrinsic Eye Muscles
3. Each eye has over 1 million nerve fibers carrying information to the brain
a. True
4. It holds lens in place
a. Ciliary Body
5. 70 percent of all sensory receptors are in the eyes
a. True
6. Watery fluid found between lens and cornea
a. Aqueous humor
7. Gel-like substance posterior to the lens
a. Vitreous humor
8. Seen anteriorly as the “white of the eye”
a. Sclera
9. Rounded opening in the iris
a. Pupil
10. Allow vision in dim light and peripheral vision
a. Rods
11. Is a blood-rich nutritive later that contains a pigment (prevents light from
scattering)
a. Choroid
12. Transparent, central anterior portion and allows for light to pass through
a. Cornea
13. Bundle of axons that exit the back of the eye carrying impulses from the retina
a. Optic Nerve
14. Regulates amount of light entering eye
a. Iris
15. Flexible, biconvex crystal-like structure
a. Lens
16. Allows for detailed color vision
a. Cones
17. Another term for farsightedness
a. Hyperopia
18. Which of the following are accessory structures of the eye?
a. Conjunctiva
b. Extrinsic Eye Muscles
c. Lacrimal Apparatus
d. Eyelids
19. A thin membrane that covers inner surface of eyelid
a. Conjunctiva
20. An accessory part of the eyes that protect from foreign objects
 a. Eyelid
b. Eyelashes
21. Another term for nearsightedness
a. Myopia