Paperclips for eye exam????

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Two of my babies got their first exe exam for ROP today on dayshift. In report, the day nurse told me that the Opthamologist said her eye speculum wasn't in her pocket and asked where we kept them on the unit. When she found out we didn't keep any on the unit, she proceeded to fashion one from a paperclip from the nurses' station. She cleaned it with an alcohol swab and rinsed it at the sink before using it. The dayshift charge nurse apparently didn't have a problem with this and my pm shift charge just said "they've done it before".

Am I hopelessly anal??? Is this OK????

Thanks in advance or your views.

P.S. I left the "smilies" out of my post so as not to influence responses (they wouldn't have been smiling).

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WHAT??!!!:eek:

I've never seen this and I hope I never do!

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Specializes in NICU.

I've never seen it either.

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Yes, the eye doctor used it on me once. I do not go to him anymore. My daughter kicked me in the eye when she was a little girl with those hard kid shoes, and I had these floaters that were bugging me, so Mr. Eye used paperclips to press on the circumfrence of my eye. It didn't hurt or anything, it was just weird!

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

That is NOT standard of practice. ANY WHERE. ANY TIME.

First of all, if she needs speculae, she needs to bring them w/her---STERILIZED AND PROPERLY PACKAGED.

Secondly, not all eye docs do-----

enough said, probably.

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Specializes in NICU, PICU, PACU.

They did this on our unit until we got a new opthamologist! He said to never ever do that...a paperclip can have small metal shavings that can imbed in the eye! But they did use those years ago before they had the handy eyeball mover :eek:

I would write an incident report on it personally.

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Specializes in ICU, ER, HH, NICU, now FNP.

THe exam packs from central supply - sterile - come with both an eye spec AND a paper clip in them on our unit...I don't know how many use them, but apparently they are used if CS continues to include them

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Specializes in inpatient hospice house.

It sounds pretty dangerous to me. I know our docs used what looked like sterile paperclips if you don't look closely. A doctor once told me you could use paperclips but he never would. Even with the correct equipment it is gross.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

There ARE pediatric ophthamologists who can do an EXCELLENT eye exam without a speculum or paper clip or an "eyeball mover". Just so that you know it can be done.

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Thanks all for your responses. It sure helps to get some perspective on something I'd never heard of before. I didn't know if I was overreacting or what.

I talked with the Clinical director of our dept. who said that using paperclips is not Standard of Care and that a letter would be sent to the Opthamologist to that effect. Also, they will work with her to ensure that the proper equipment is available, so this shouldn't happen again.

I made it clear that I won't stand for it happening again :nono:.

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We now have to use disposable ROP exam kits for each exam. I have never seen a paper clip used! Ouch!

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

@KD---Thankfully, this is a really old thread!

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