How are ophthalmology procedures marked?
Eye preparation, such as pupil dilation, often occurs some time before a procedure begins and often is conducted by someone other than the proceduralist. Therefore, as in all other procedures, site marking should take place with the patient awake, alert and involved, and prior to admittance to the procedure room. The mark should be unambiguous and located near the eye to be operated upon. For intraocular surgery where pre-operative mydriatic drops have been ordered, the correct site can be marked by a registered nurse and the marking checked by a second registered nurse before the drops are given. These checks are in conjunction with the proper confirmation of the patient’s identify, checking of consent, and verbal confirmation of the patient or “person responsible” of the side to have surgery.
