21. How to: Aftercare Flashcards
Biggest cause of contact lens drop out is?
Discomfort
Causes of contact lens drop out?
- Discomfort **
- Dryness
- Redness
- Vision
- Expense
- Convince
Why is it important to identify patients that are likely to drop out during aftercare assessment?
To identify px’s that are at high risk of drop out and reduce drop out and help patients navigate through the problems that they might face.
Typical aftercare appointment duration is?
12 months
What does aftercare mean?
Check-up of existing lens wearer this could be after completion of fit or routine after care. sometimes patients can come incase of problems.
Why is aftercare needed?
- CL wear can greatly affect the eye.
- Opportunity to check px ocular status.
- To ensure CL is still suitable.
- To ensure px needs are meet.
- To identify areas of non- compliance
- Legal requirement for supply of CLs.
When Px comes to aftercare, they are wearing the CL, why?
Opportunity to check VA and OR. Additionally, check lens fit and condition.
When patient is removing lenses what is observed?
Watch patient technique, is patient washing hands?
Keratometry is used sometimes, why is it used?
It is used to check the radius of curvature of the cornea. Also, monitor changes in corneal curvature.
Once patient removes lenses what is the next step in an aftercare appointment?
Anterior eye exam– advice– recall
History and symptoms role?
- Find out about day to day wearing problems.
- Make sure px is happy with their lenses, comfort and vision.
- Find out if there is something different or better suited for your patient.
- Identify patients at risk of drop out & offer solutions.
- Identify non-compliance & offer advice to reduce the risk of complication.
If non-compliance is identified, how do you address it to help the patient?
Advice patient while performing H&S and the end of the exam to help them understand better
Instead of asking patients if they sleep in the lenses, what is another more open question related to the same case?
When was the last time you slept in your lenses?
Tend in CL drop out?
As lenses get uncomfortable, px wears lenses for a shorter time and then less days. Eventually, they start wearing lenses only at irregular intervals then stop completely.
Relation of up to date sight test to CL
Need to have an up to date sight test to be issued with prescription CL
How to identify patient hygiene and compliance?
Ask patient to describe the routine that they follow.
What are some possible identifiable risk factors with CL?
1.Water/ swimming/ showering.
2. Overnight wear (ON)/ napping.
3. Replacement/ re-wearing dailies?
Biggest risk factor for acanthamoeba keratitis?
Water exposure
Risk factors for MK (microbial keratitis)
- Extended wear, overnight wear and occasional napping.— causes hypoxia.
- Poor case hygiene & infrequent replacement.
Why is there a lower level of severity of MK in daily lens wearers?
Due to lack of lens case
Infrequent lens case replacement is associated with?
Moderate- severe MK
Relation to compliance and aftercare intervals?
Compliance deteriorates with increasing aftercare intervals.
Relationship with eye exam intervals and compliance?
Greater the interval between eye exams is associated with non compliant lens replacement frequency.
How to help pxs that swim with CL?
Rx googles given, fitting them with dailies that are used just to swim then taken out once you are done with swimming.
